Bengaluru: In a significant move to support healthcare at the grassroots level, the Karnataka government has announced a Rs 1,000 monthly incentive for over 15,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) across the state.

The decision follows a government order releasing funds to increase the honorarium paid to ASHA workers operating in health sub-centres and urban areas not yet upgraded to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

To implement this initiative, the state has sanctioned an additional grant of Rs 1,800.48 lakh.

Under the scheme, primary health officers and health inspectors will receive an incentive of Rs 1,500 per month while ASHA workers will get Rs 1,000 per month as incentives.

Karnataka currently has around 41,000 active ASHA workers, out of a total of 42,524 sanctioned posts. Each ASHA worker is responsible for healthcare outreach to approximately 1,000 people in rural areas and 2,500 in urban areas.

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New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Culture allegedly spent Rs 76.13 lakh on print advertisements marking the 100-year celebrations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), according to a Right to Information (RTI) reply.

The information was sought by RTI activist Ajay Basudev Bose, who filed an application seeking details on expenditure incurred by the ministry for advertisements commemorating the RSS centenary.

Bose shared a picture of the reply from the ministry on his official ‘X’ handle.

“It is informed that an amount of Rs 76,13,129 has been spent on advertisement given in various print media by the Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of RSS,” the government’s reply stated.

Bose questioned the expenditure in the post X, “when Everyone knows RSS is Not Registered & Does not Pay any Tax is it justified to spend Tax Payers Money on such Private event??”

Reacting to the development, Karnataka’s IT-BT and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge also criticised the spending.

In a post on X, he asked why public money was being used for what he described as a “private ideological project.”

"Modi Sarkar spent Rs 76,13,129 of public money on newspaper advertisements to celebrate 100 years of the RSS. Why is Government spending taxpayers money on an unregistered, non-tax-paying organisation to celebrate their centenary?," he added. 

According to reports, the RSS describes itself as a volunteer-based organisation and has stated that it functions as a body of individuals rather than a registered entity.

Founded by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in 1925, the organisation is marking its centenary year beginning from Vijaydashami in 2025, with the milestone observed on October 2.