Hundreds of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) protested outside the West Bengal Health Department's headquarters at Swasthya Bhavan in Kolkata on January 7, 2026. The workers demanded better pay, insurance, and benefits after 15 days of ongoing strike. Clad in pink and purple uniforms, the ASHA workers gathered from early morning, blocking roads and challenging barricades. Police locked the main gate to stop them from entering the building. The protest focused on eight key demands, including raising their monthly honorarium from ₹5,250 to ₹15,000 and a ₹5 lakh compensation for death on duty. Protesters also sought maternity leave, permanent government employee status, coverage for mobile phone expenses used in digital work, and release of pending allowances. One ASHA worker said, "We want our monthly honorarium to be increased to Rs 15,000, we want maternity leave, compensation in case of death on duty, we want to be recognised as permanent government employees and not volunteers. We also want the mobile phone costs for digital data entry work to be covered, and the disbursal of pending allowances promised earlier." She added they provide vital maternity and child care services, often rushing to homes at late hours during emergencies, yet they lack maternity leave themselves. According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, West Bengal has about 70,468 ASHA workers as of September 2024. These workers inform communities about nutrition, sanitation, safe delivery, immunisation, contraception, and care for young children. The ASHA workers have submitted multiple deputations to the Health Department but continue their sit-in protest demanding discussions with officials.