The Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) is a community health worker scheme, instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The scheme was launched in 2005 under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to address the problem of limited access to primary healthcare in rural India and to connect marginalized communities with the public health system. The ASHA program is now part of the broader National Health Mission (NHM), which subsumed the NRHM in 2013, and was expanded to urban areas through the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) in 2013.
The mechanism involves selecting a trained female resident of the village, preferably between 25 and 45 years of age and educated up to at least Class VIII, to serve a population of approximately 1,000. ASHAs act as a vital link, mobilizing the community to utilize services like immunization, Ante Natal Check-ups (ANC), and institutional deliveries. They are also depot holders for essential provisions such as Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets, and Disposable Delivery Kits (DDK). While considered volunteers, ASHAs receive performance-based incentives for achieving specific health targets, such as facilitating an institutional delivery or completing a child's immunization. The program connects directly to other health initiatives like the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and national disease control programs. A recent change includes the provision of a cash award of ₹5,000 per certification for ASHAs who successfully complete training modules by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).