Mon Mar 31 10:46:45 UTC 2025: ## Kerala Asha Workers Intensify Protest, Cut Hair on 50th Day of Strike

**Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala –** Over 26,000 Asha workers in Kerala escalated their ongoing protest outside the state secretariat on Monday, marking the 50th day of their strike with a dramatic act of hair-cutting. Hundreds of women, many in tears, chanted slogans and severed their hair in a powerful display of defiance against the state government’s inaction.

The workers are demanding a significant increase in their monthly honorarium from ₹7,000 to ₹21,000, along with a ₹5 lakh lump-sum benefit upon retirement at age 62. Currently, they earn only ₹232 per day. Their indefinite relay fast, now in its 12th day, highlights their desperate situation and frustration with the lack of response from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s government.

“Our hair is precious, like our children,” declared Bindu, a protest leader. “Despite our genuine demands, the government is silent. We will not stop until our demands are met.” Other workers echoed this sentiment, vowing to continue their protest until their pleas are heard. They accused the Left government of ignoring their demands, despite the party’s manifesto promising improved conditions.

The protest has garnered significant public support, with large crowds gathering daily to express solidarity. Both the Congress-led UDF and BJP-led NDA opposition parties have pledged additional payments to the workers from their respective local body funds, starting in the new fiscal year. However, Kerala Local Self Government Minister M.B. Rajesh dismissed these offers as unrealistic and politically motivated. He stated that existing rules prohibit such payments. The protest continues, and Asha workers have vowed further, more intensive actions if their demands remain unmet.

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