Agartala, May 15 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Friday that healthcare remains one of the priority sectors of the state government and emphasised that ASHA workers are playing a crucial role in delivering health services to the doorsteps of common people across the state.

The Chief Minister also announced that the state government is considering increasing the honorarium of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers serving in Tripura.

Chief Minister Saha, who also holds the Health and Family Welfare portfolio, made the announcement while inaugurating the state-level ASHA convention organised at the International Fair and Exhibition Ground at Hapania on Friday.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said that the state-level ASHA convention was being organised after a long gap of nearly nine years, the last such event having been held in 2017.

“People look upon you as a ray of hope, and that is exactly the responsibility you are fulfilling. Yesterday (Thursday) also, I distributed around 850 appointment offers among postgraduate teachers who secured jobs through the Teachers’ Recruitment Board Tripura (TRBT),” he added.

During the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government, there has been no need for people to take to the streets to demand jobs, CM Saha said, adding that through this convention, we are witnessing a strong example of women’s empowerment.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently attached special importance to women’s empowerment, noting that women constitute nearly 50 per cent of the country’s population.

“Women have been provided 33 per cent reservation rights. Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought forward the Constitutional Amendment Bill for women’s empowerment, and it was passed in 2023,” Chief Minister Saha added.

Praising the contribution of ASHA workers, the Chief Minister said that they have been working tirelessly in the service of people across urban and rural areas.

He noted that after the launch of the National Health Mission in 2005, ASHA workers played a major role in ensuring that healthcare services and awareness programmes reached people at the grassroots level.

“The health sector is one of our priority areas. The state government is continuously working to further strengthen healthcare services. ASHA workers are carrying various healthcare benefits to every household, and there can be no greater service than this. We are committed to building a new Tripura in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘New India’,” he added.

Chief Minister Saha said that ASHA workers have become the backbone of doorstep healthcare services in the state.

“From spreading public awareness to safeguarding maternal and child health and ensuring the successful implementation of vaccination programmes, ASHA workers have been serving with dedication and sincerity in every sphere. Our government is committed to protecting the rights and dignity of ASHA workers,” he added.

The Chief Minister also told that the state government is actively considering measures for the welfare of the 7,866 ASHA workers currently serving in the state, including enhancement of honorarium, advanced training opportunities and other welfare initiatives.

The programme was attended by Health Department Secretary Kiran Gitte and other senior officials of the Health Department.

–IANS

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