Thiruvananthapuram: Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, who had been on strike since February 2025, on Thursday celebrated the government’s decision to increase their honorarium by Rs 3,000 by distributing payasam at their protest venue in front of the Secretariat here.

Calling it a major victory achieved through months of agitation, the workers also used the occasion to criticise the previous LDF government. “We have achieved our demands, and Kerala has given a verdict against arrogance. If they continue with this kind of attitude, what happened in West Bengal and Tripura will repeat in Kerala,” an ASHA worker said, drawing parallels with both states where the Left lost power and were unable to stage a comeback.

Actor Prem Kumar, who attended the programme titled ‘Asha Keralam Vijaya Pathayil’, said the previous government that ignored and mocked the protesting workers had been ‘swept away by the tears of ASHA workers’. He also claimed that the election verdict was a response to those who had chosen to overlook the agitation.

Prem Kumar further alleged that he lost his position in the Film Academy after openly supporting the ASHA protest.

The V D Satheesan government, during its first Cabinet meeting, decided to raise the wages of ASHA workers by Rs 3,000. The government also announced that other demands, including additional benefits, would be considered after consultations with officials and an assessment of the state’s financial condition.

The ASHA workers welcomed the decision, along with the government’s move to increase the wages and benefits of Anganwadi teachers.

Hundreds of ASHA workers from different parts of the state once again gathered outside the Secretariat on Thursday, carrying memories of their months-long protest. They celebrated by preparing payasam, distributing sweets and spending time together at the same venue where they had staged their agitation for months.

One ASHA worker, who had cut her hair during the protest as a mark of resistance, said the wage hike was the result of their suffering and perseverance. “Our hardship has grown into this hair. We suffered so much. We are very happy that it has been increased by Rs 3,000. Didn’t they refuse to give us anything before?” she asked.

The workers also recalled how the previous government had attempted to suppress their protest, including by using water cannons against demonstrators.

Social and cultural activists who had stood with the ASHA workers since the beginning of the protest in front of the Secretariat on February 10, 2025, also joined Thursday’s celebrations.