On any given day, the Dharna Chowk, an open-air space in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, echoes with the impassioned voices of people trying to draw the government’s attention to their plight. Red flags flutter against the sea of blue saris, as the female workforce comprising Anganwadi workers and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) have transformed the public arena, staging protests for the past two weeks seeking better working conditions.
Dharna Chowk has turned into a space for women, by women and of women as they remind the Andhra Pradesh government, through novel demonstrations every day, that they are being given short shrift. One day they seek alms from the public, another they play out a tableau of Gandhiji’s three monkeys.
About 55,400 ASHAs in the State are today on protest, demanding nine provisions: of maternity leave, a hike in honorarium from ₹10,000 to ₹26,000, retirement benefits, and dearness and travel allowances. Simultaneously, 1.05 lakh Anganwadi workers and helpers have been on an indefinite strike for the past two weeks in the State demanding that the government concede to 11 demands, including retirement benefits.
