Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the Kerala government has raised the maximum daily wage for prisoners to ₹620, workers in many other categories, including the ASHA workers and Employment Guarantee workers, continue to be paid far less.

Even at the highest pay of ₹12,000 a month, the daily wages of ASHA workers in the state now remain ₹220 below that of prisoners. Similarly, workers under the Employment Guarantee programme earn only ₹369 per day,  Rs.251 less than prisoners, despite a wage hike implemented nine months ago.

The Home Department’s move to raise prisoners’ wages while ignoring the minimum wage rates for other categories of workers has also sparked widespread protests.

Currently, the minimum wages in various sectors stand at: coir workers – ₹468, private security personnel – ₹596, cashew workers – ₹538, and petrol pump staff – ₹458. None of these rates have been revised proportionally, yet the government has taken a special interest in increasing the prisoners’ pay.

The Department of Prisons had initially recommended raising the maximum daily wage from ₹230 to ₹350. However, the Chief Minister’s office stepped in and asked to increase it sharply to ₹620.With this move, the government was aiming to make Kerala the state offering the highest wages to prisoners. Unlike other workers, prisoners also receive free food and medical care, costs that workers in other sectors must bear from their own wages.