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Bengaluru, Jul 10: Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers under the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on Friday held protests in different parts of Karnataka, demanding personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and a salary of at least Rs 12,000 per month.

According to Madhu Kumari, an ASHA worker from Kalaburgi, ASHA workers currently receive a salary of Rs 3,000 per month.

"Our demand is to increase our wages to at least Rs 12,000 per month. We have been making this demand for the last six months but we have not received any response from the authorities. We will not go back to work until we are given an appropriate response. We did not want to create a difficult situation but the government has given us no choice," Kumari told ANI.

Clad in their signature pink saris, the women were holding posters in their hands and raising slogans to demand appropriate salary for their work and the necessary equipment to protect themselves from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Farhana, an ASHA worker protesting in Shivamogga, said that the women have been making demands for PPE kits since June 30. "We have been taking care of COVID patients for the last few weeks but have not received adequate PPE kits. A few of us received some in the beginning but they were not enough. We are not even given hand sanitiser or masks to protect ourselves," she added.

"We have sent letters to the District Commissioner's Office and to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare but our pleas have gone unheard. We are protesting to get the attention of the concerned authorities," she added.

They also demanded that authorities to conduct their COVID-19 tests as they have to deal with patients infected with the virus.

Sajida, an ASHA worker in Kalaburagi said, "We are very stressed about the COVID situation. We take care of sick people day in and day out, but no one is there to take care of us. We want the government to conduct COVID tests for all ASHA workers in the state."

Chikkamagaluru, Mar 8: A 20 member armed gang barged into a farmhouse at Gudde Thota near Jayapura in Koppa taluk and looted valuables and cash worth about Rs 12 lakh after assaulting the inmates, Police said on Sunday.

According to police, the culprits covered their face with masks and after assaulting watchman they broke open the main door and tied up Vijayaraghav and his wife Asha before robbing the valuables.

The culprits took away Rs 2.5 lakh in cash and valuables worth over Rs 10 lakh.

Bengaluru, Jul 19: Senior JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday advised the Karnataka government to utilise the services of private medical colleges in treating Covid-19 patients, by taking them into confidence, instead of threatening them with license cancellation for not complying with directives.

He also said a concentrated effort should be taken in the fight against coronavirus. "It was wrong for any hospital to deny treatment. It is also not correct on part of the government to threaten the private medical colleges with cancellation of their licence for that reason. It won't be of any help at this time of medical emergency.

Remember that MCI has the authority to cancel licenses, not government," Kumaraswamy tweeted. "Instead of showing fury on private medical colleges at such a time, concentrate on taking their service by taking them into confidence. Look into their needs. I urge for a concentrated fight against coronavirus," he added.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had on Saturday convened a meeting with Private Medical College Hospitals regarding Covid management and directed them to provide 50 per cent of the beds as promised.

In another tweet, Kumaraswamy said the notice being put out by local administrations in front of coronavirus patient's house is leading to new age social discrimination and untouchability.

To ensure that infected patients and his family leads a respectable life, such a practice has to be dropped immediately. "..... instead health workers should be sent to their houses to educate and instill confidence in them," the former CM added.