Thiruvananthapuram: The much-awaited discussion between Health Minister Veena George and protesting ASHA workers failed to break the deadlock on Wednesday. The minister agreed to meet the protesters again after their talks with National Health Mission (NHM) director earlier in the day failed to make any headway.

"The minister merely spoke about the government's financial crisis and said a 300% hike in remuneration at one go was impossible. She said our demands were unrealistic. We didn’t even discuss our monetary demands," ASHA Samara Samiti leader Mini said after the meeting.

She added that the minister dismissed the ASHA workers' argument when they pointed out that their demands were listed in the LDF manifesto. 
"The minister requested us to withdraw the protest," Mini said.

Meanwhile, Minister Veena George said the government had withdrawn the ten conditions for granting the Rs 7,000 honorarium to ASHA workers. The minister told the media after the meeting that the state mission would issue an order preventing the dismissal of ASHA workers upon reaching the retirement age of 62.

"The claims that ASHA workers in Kerala have more work than other states and that they were not allowed to seek other employment are false. The state will consider their demands regarding the honorarium and retirement," the minister said, adding that she would meet the Union Health Minister soon to find a solution.

The Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), who have been on an indefinite protest for 38 days in front of the Secretariat, have announced a hunger strike starting Thursday, marking the third phase of their agitation. 

 The ASHA workers are demanding an increase in their honorarium to Rs 21,000 and retirement benefits. While the government has cleared pending incentives and relaxed honorarium guidelines, the workers remain firm on meeting all their demands.