A day after ASHA workers under Kerala ASHA Health Workers' Association (KAHWA) began their indefinite hunger strike, the Kerala government has shut the door on any further talks with them.

Excise minister M B Rajesh, standing in for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, told the Assembly on Friday, that if a resolution for the strike seemed remote it was only because of the "stubborn and headstrong" attitude of the protesters.

"The state government's attitude has nothing to do with it," Rajesh said. He was responding to a Submission moved by Opposition Leader V D Satheesan on the issue.

There was urgency in the words of Satheesan. "It might not be possible to fulfil all the demands made by the ASHAs in one go. But whatever we can, we should, and for that, the government must make an earnest effort," he said.

The excise minister said that the government had already done its part. He was referring to the government order on March 12 that, according to the minister, had done away with the requirement that ASHAs had to satisfy at least five of 10 conditions to receive their honorarium. From March 12 it is "unconditional honorarium".

The striking ASHAs have already expressed their suspicion. According to them, the March 12 order has a sly clause that has for the first time linked honorarium to performance-based incentive work.

The government, however, sees ulterior motives in this concern. "Even after the issue has been settled, they seem to have problems. This means that they want to somehow prolong the agitation endlessly," the minister said.

The government also found it suspicious that the agitators were not uttering a word against the Centre. Minister Rajesh said the state had done all it could. From Rs 1000 in 2016, Rajesh said the Pinarayi Vijayan government had increased the ASHA honorarium to Rs 7000.

Besides the honorarium, there is the fixed incentive of Rs 3000, shared by the centre and states in the 60:40 ratio (Rs 1800 centre, and Rs 1200 by the state). "So of the assured amount of Rs 10,000 (honorarium plus fixed incentive), the state gives Rs 8200," Rajesh said. (Then, ASHAs could also earn a maximum of Rs 3200 as part of a performance-based incentive mechanism.)

"Even the little money that the centre contributes has still not been transferred," he said, lamenting that even then it was the state that was being targeted by the protesters.

But for the ASHA worker to enjoy substantial gains, the minister said the Centre would have to make up its mind. Rajesh said that it was the central guidelines that were standing in the way of the progress of ASHA workers.

The central guidelines say that "the state government may modify these (ASHA) guidelines except that no change may be done in the basic criterion of an ASHA being a woman volunteer."

He said the state government and all the central trade unions, including CITU (CPM), INTUC (Congress), AITUC (CPI) and the Muslim League's STU (Swatantra Thozhilali Union), wanted ASHAs to be re-categorised as health workers.

"The centre is unwilling," the minister said. "If they are made health workers, formal employees, then they will have to be paid salaries. Minimum wages will have to be ensured. Pensions will have to be given. ESI, and PF benefits, too. Also gratuity. They will get all the benefits of an ordinary employee. But the central guidelines have blocked for ASHAs any of these benefits," the minister said.

The excise minister said that re-categorisation was the major demand made by health minister Veena George even in a recent missive sent to the union health minister. Here is what the health minister's letter says: "The guidelines for ASHAs issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recognises ASHA as woman volunteer only, even when over the years their responsibilities have increased manifold. Considering their significant contribution to the health of our population, and the time they are expected to put into their work, I request you to reconsider this provision and re-categorise ASHAs as health workers."

Further, Rajesh said that at the Indian Labour Conferences held in 2013 and 2015 (the last under the Narendra Modi regime) had unanimously said that ASHAs should be recognised as health workers. There are court verdicts, too, including that of the Supreme Court, saying that ASHAs should be made health workers and provided gratuity.

Rajesh said that both BJP and non-BJP states had repeatedly sought an increase in the incentives for ASHAs. "Not only have they not done it but even now J P Nadda (union health minister) is not willing to give any assurance on that count. First he said that it would be increased and then said there was no need for a hike at this stage," the minister said. Dissatisfied with the response, the opposition UDF staged a walk out.