Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 31 (IANS) The marathon 266-day protest by ASHA workers in front of the Secretariat will come to an end, with the health volunteers deciding to take their agitation to the districts and to the people as Kerala heads toward local body elections soon.

The ASHA Samara Samithi said the sit-in will be wound up on Kerala Formation Day on Saturday, marking a tactical shift rather than a withdrawal.

The decision follows the state government’s move to raise their monthly honorarium by Rs 1,000, taking it from Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000.

The workers, who had originally demanded Rs 21,000, called the hike “meagre” but claimed it as a moral victory.

“Every right we have achieved has come through struggle,” said Samithi leader M.A. Bindu.

“Those who once mocked our protest now ack

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