Health

Delhi doubles ASHA workers incentive to ₹6,000, widens free newborn screening

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The Delhi government on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, doubled the monthly ASHA workers incentive from ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 and launched a set of health measures, including wider free screening for newborn babies. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu announced the steps at the ASHA Sammelan-2026 at Thyagraj Stadium under the ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’ programme.

Who gains from the higher ASHA workers incentive

The increase covers 6,690 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in the capital. Working under the National Health Mission, they register pregnant women, encourage hospital deliveries, track immunisation and counsel families on nutrition and sanitation. Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said the hike had been pending for nearly a decade, noting that the workers kept serving through the Covid years without due recognition. Sandhu said ASHA workers “stand on the front lines of the healthcare system”, taking health services and awareness to pregnant women, children and families.

Newborn screening expanded to 63 conditions

Mission ANMOL, Delhi’s free newborn screening programme, has been expanded from 56 to 63 congenital conditions, with tests to be carried out within 24 to 72 hours of birth. Officials said more than 75,000 babies had been screened and over 700 children treated in time since the scheme became operational in March. The government aims to raise annual coverage from about 1.5 lakh to 2.5 lakh newborns.

Organ donation hub and nursing home portal

The building of the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) at GB Pant Hospital was inaugurated virtually. It is meant to strengthen coordination and awareness around organ and tissue donation and transplants in the city. Gupta said she had registered for body donation through the SOTTO portal and urged ASHA workers to carry information about organ donation to families and senior citizens.

The government also launched a Nursing Home Management System portal that moves registration and renewal for private nursing homes online. Officials said it would cut repeated visits to government offices and improve record-keeping and monitoring.

Source: The Indian Express | The Tribune

Photo: Sumita Roy Dutta / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)

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