Centre provided no cash grants under NHM in 2023-24: Kerala Health Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 11 (PTI) Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday welcomed Union Health Minister J P Nadda's announcement in Parliament that incentives of ASHA workers will be increased, but said that the Centre did not provide any cash grants in 2023 under the NHM.

During the discussion in the Assembly on demands for grants under various heads in the Budget for the financial year 2025-2026, George said that she came to know that the Union Health Minister had decided to increase the incentives of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers.

"That is what Kerala also wanted. I had met with the Union Health Minister earlier and had raised this issue before him," she said.

At the same time, she also pointed out that the cash grant under the National Health Mission for 2023-24 was zero.

She also said that according to the utilisation certificate with regard to the centrally sponsored schemes, the Centre's share is "nil".

"I have sent these documents to the central government and I am tabling them here in the House also," George said.

She further said that she has also sent the financial statements upto February 25 this year to the Centre.

Later, her office, in a statement, said that George had sent letters to Nadda and the Union Health Secretary on various dates regarding the amounts to be given by the Centre to the state under the NHM for 2023-24.

"Not a single rupee was allocated for NHM's schemes, including ASHA, for their normal operations in the financial year 2023-24," the statement said.

It also said that out of the total Rs 826.02 crore to be given by the Centre, only Rs 189.15 crore was allocated for infrastructure maintenance and grants and the remaining Rs 636.88 crore, including the incentives for ASHAs, has not been allocated.

Earlier in the day, Union Health Minister J P Nadda announced in the Parliament that the Mission Steering Group of the NHM has decided to raise the incentives of ASHA workers amid demands for enhancing the remuneration of such workers from some states.

The Mission Steering Group (MSG) is the highest policy-making and steering institution under the National Health Mission (NHM). However, replying to a question on any pending dues to the Kerala government, Nadda said, "As far as the Kerala government is concerned, the Government of India has given all its due, (but) the utilisation certification has not come." "The moment the certification (comes)... the amount to the ASHA workers and the state of Kerala would be given accordingly. But at this point, our share has been given to ASHA workers and the government," the minister said.

A section of ASHA workers have been protesting outside the Secretariat here for more than a month seeking a hike in their honorarium and also post retirement benefits. PTI HMP HMP KH