Under the new notification, ASHA and ASHA Facilitators will be eligible to receive fixed monthly honorarium while on maternity leave

Punjab Maternity Leave Benefits To ASHA Workers & Facilitators; 5 Employee Org Meet FM Cheema:  Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who also chairs the Cabinet Sub-Committee on employee issues, announced that the Punjab Government has issued a notification today to grant maternity leave benefits to ASHA and ASHA Facilitators in accordance with the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961, according to a press release by the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab.

The announcement was made during a series of meetings held today (3 Oct 2025) with representatives from five employee organizations to discuss their demands.

Under the new notification, ASHA and ASHA Facilitators will be eligible to receive fixed monthly honorarium while on maternity leave. Furthermore, all future amendments to the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961, will also apply to them. 
The union expressed their gratitude to the Finance Minister for accepting this long-standing demand, the press release read.
Meetings took place at his office in the Punjab Secretariat with representatives from the Janglaat Workers Union, the Asha Worker Te Facilitator Nirol Union, the Adarsh School Teaching Non Teaching Mulazam Union, the E.T.T TET Pass Adhyapak Association (Jai Singh Wala), and the Beruzgar PSTET Pass Art & Craft Sangharsh Union.

During the discussions, Finance Minister Cheema directed the concerned departments to take immediate action on the legitimate demands raised by the union leaders. The Finance Minister also instructed the respective departments to draft proposals for the demands that pertain to the Finance Department and submit them promptly for consideration and necessary action.

Reiterating the government's commitment to resolving employee concerns, Finance Minister Cheema assured the unions that the dialogue would continue, and further meetings would be held to work towards the swift resolution of their legitimate issues.

Senior Vice Presidents Jaswinder Singh and Sulakhan Singh Mohali, and Vice President Satnam Singh Sangrur from the Janglaat Workers Union; State President Kirandeep Kaur Panjola, Shinderpal Kaur Balianwali, and Kiranjit Kaur Mansa from the Asha Worker Te Facilitator Nirol Union; State President Jasvir Singh Galoti, General Secretary Sukhdeep Kaur Saran, Assistant Secretary Salim Mohammad from the Adarsh School Teaching Non Teaching Mulazam Union; State President Kamal Thakur, General Secretary Sohan Singh Barnala, and Treasurer Gurmukh Singh Patiala from the E.T.T TET Pass Adhyapak Association (Jai Singh Wala); and Kirandeep, Jotinder Singh, and Harminder Saini from the Beruzgar P.S.T.E.T Pass Art & Craft Sangharsh Union presented their demands and issues during the meeting.

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