Workers under Tamil Nadu’s ‘Makkalai Thedi Marthuvum’ (Health to Door Steps) scheme are urging the state government to provide them with performance-based incentives, as promised in a government order from 2022. In a July 19, 2022 order, the Office of the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine had assured incentives to these workers.
However, the promised incentive of Rs 2000 has yet to be sanctioned. The Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), affiliated with the CPI(M), has taken up the matter with the state government. CITU Thoothukudi district secretary, Petchimuthu, emphasized the valuable role these workers play in preventing the spread of endemic and seasonal diseases, often working on holidays. He urged the government to release a work schedule and ensure that the workers are treated respectfully.
Additionally, Petchimuthu highlighted issues related to timely salary payments and appealed to the government to rectify this concern. The ‘Makkalai Thedi Marthuvum’ scheme, launched on August 5, 2021, provides comprehensive home-based healthcare services, including screening for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Palliative Care Services, Physiotherapy services, and Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) services, making it a significant social welfare initiative in Tamil Nadu.