ASHA worker: how a village woman is chosen, and what the role is

Who can be an ASHA

The NHM guidelines describe the criteria as follows. States may change the details of the process, but the guidelines say the basic criteria of a woman volunteer with at least Class 8 education who is a resident of the village cannot be changed (the education can be relaxed only in areas where no such candidate is available).

• She must be a woman resident of the village, preferably married, widowed, divorced or separated, and preferably aged 25 to 45 years.
• She should be literate with formal education up to Class 8, with communication and leadership qualities, and family and social support to find the time for the work.
• The education and age criteria can be relaxed if no suitable woman with this qualification is available in the area.
• The general norm is one ASHA per 1,000 population; in tribal, hilly and desert areas it can be relaxed to one ASHA per habitation.
• The guidelines also ask that women from disadvantaged groups are fairly represented, so that those groups are served better.

How she is selected

• The District Health Society oversees selection. A district nodal officer from the regular cadre and block nodal officers (such as the Block Medical Officer) lead it, supported by community mobilisers and ASHA facilitators.
• Facilitators hold community meetings with the households concerned, working with Panchayat representatives, women's self-help groups and other local groups. The meeting explains the role and asks the community to choose from women who are interested.
• This should end with a shortlist of at least three names from each village.
• Ideally a Gram Sabha meeting selects one of the three, the minutes are recorded and the Gram Panchayat forwards the name to the block and nodal officer.

What the role is, and what it pays

The guidelines call the ASHA primarily an 'honorary volunteer'. She is paid for her time in specific situations such as training and review meetings, and she earns performance-based incentives under national health programmes, such as immunisation and institutional delivery support.

That means an ASHA does not draw a fixed salary under these guidelines. Any state honorarium or fixed top-up is decided by the state, so check your state health department for the current figures instead of relying on a number from a forum or video.

How to apply, and what to be careful about

• Look for your district's notice. Because selection is done village by village with the community, there is usually no national application portal; the notice comes from the District Health Society, district health office or a Gram Panchayat meeting.
• Ask the ANM, the ASHA facilitator or the Medical Officer at the local PHC when a selection meeting for your village will be held.
• Do not pay anyone for an ASHA post. The guidelines describe a community process, not a purchased post.
• If a state notice differs from the criteria above, follow the state notice. The guidelines say states may modify the process and must publish changes in local languages.