Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said his government has decided to increase the honorarium of ASHA workers in the state by Rs 1,000 per month from November 1 onwards.

The CM also said that the minimum support prices of rubber in the state would be raised to Rs 200 per kilogram from the current Rs 180 per kilogram.

The increase in the honorarium of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers comes in the wake of their more than 250-days long agitation outside the state secretariat.

The CM said that all the payment arrears of the ASHA workers would also be cleared.

He said the hike in honorarium will result in an extra yearly expenditure of Rs 250 crore for the state.

They have been protesting, seeking an increase in their state-paid honorarium from Rs 7,000 to Rs 21,000 and a post-retirement benefit of Rs 5 lakh.

The minimum support price for rubber was last increased from Rs 170 to Rs 180 per kilogram in the 2024-25 budget, just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.