Nitish Kumar Announces Major Pay Hike for ASHA and Mamta Workers Ahead of Bihar Elections, Boosting Rural Healthcare Backbone
Nitish Kumar Announces Major Pay Hike for ASHA and Mamta Workers Ahead of Bihar Elections, Boosting Rural Healthcare Backbone
In a major announcement ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday declared a significant hike in monthly incentives for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Mamta workers, recognizing their critical role in the rural healthcare ecosystem.
The monthly incentive for ASHA workers has been tripled—from the existing ₹1,000 to ₹3,000—while Mamta workers will now receive ₹600 per delivery, double the earlier amount of ₹300. The announcement marks a substantial financial boost for thousands of women health workers who have long been the backbone of Bihar’s rural public health delivery system.
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the Chief Minister said:
“Since the formation of the government in November 2005, we have worked extensively to improve health services. Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Mamta workers have played a significant role in enhancing health services in rural areas. This enhanced incentive amount will boost their morale and strengthen health services in rural areas.”
The announcement comes in the backdrop of sustained demands from community health workers for better compensation, especially after their frontline role during the COVID-19 pandemic, maternal health programs, and routine immunization drives.
According to health department officials, ASHA workers are a key pillar of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)—now part of the National Health Mission (NHM)—and are tasked with bridging the gap between the healthcare system and the rural population. Each ASHA is typically responsible for a population of about 1,000 in rural areas, acting as a facilitator, mobilizer, and sometimes even a caregiver.
They support a wide range of services, including antenatal care registration, immunization, institutional deliveries, family planning awareness, nutrition, and sanitation campaigns. They also play a pivotal role in national programs like Mission Indradhanush, Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), and Ayushman Bharat.
“ASHA workers are intended to facilitate access to health services, mobilise communities to realise health rights and access entitlements, and provide basic community-level care,” an official from Bihar’s Health Department noted. “Their efforts are instrumental in reducing maternal and infant mortality and in promoting behavioral change in rural households.”
Mamta workers, meanwhile, are contractual healthcare providers deployed in the maternity wards of government hospitals across Bihar. Their primary responsibility is to provide care and support for newborns and postnatal mothers in the immediate hours and days following delivery. They ensure proper feeding, hygiene, and timely vaccinations for newborns while guiding new mothers in postnatal care practices.
These workers are especially critical in high-volume public health facilities where nursing staff is limited. Their presence has significantly contributed to the reduction of neonatal complications and postnatal infections, particularly in underserved rural areas. The enhanced incentive, experts believe, could help improve retention and motivation among these frontline workers, many of whom work long hours under challenging conditions with minimal remuneration.
“This is not just a financial decision; it is a policy shift recognizing the invisible labor of women in public health,” said a senior public health expert in Patna. “With better compensation, we can expect improved service delivery and better health outcomes in rural Bihar.”
The move also holds political weight, as ASHA and Mamta workers—who number in the tens of thousands across Bihar—have repeatedly staged protests demanding fair wages, regularization of their services, and social security benefits. Their role as health mobilizers gives them a strong presence and voice in the community, making them a politically significant constituency.
The Bihar government has gradually expanded its investment in community health infrastructure over the past decade. Programs like the Mukhyamantri Nishulk Dawa Yojana, free ambulance services, and rural health centers’ digitization have contributed to improved health indicators, though challenges in access, staffing, and funding persist.
In this latest resolution, the Nitish Kumar government hopes to resolve decades of dissatisfaction while also bolstering the rural healthcare delivery mechanism as the development state moves into election season.
As public health becomes a growingly central political and development issue, the empowerment of ASHA and Mamta workers could very well represent an electoral strategy and an advancement in community health reform.
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