Women Health Volunteers of ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam’ scheme on Monday submitted a petition to Dindigul Collector pressing for various demands, including a salary hike. They urged the State government to increase the monthly salary to ₹15,000.

The health volunteers said 13,225 female employees have been working under this scheme. They visited houses of elderly people and differently abled persons to check blood pressure and sugar levels, and distribute medicine kits.

They said they were paid a monthly salary of ₹5,500. However, they have not received the salary for the past few months. Though they were told that it would be a two-hour daily shift, they were made to work for more than eight hours a day, they said.

In March, an announcement was made regarding a salary hike starting May 1. However, it has not been implemented. The health volunteers have also not received salary for the past few months, making it impossible to manage household, educational, and medical expenses, they said and urged the the State government to increase the monthly salary to ₹15,000.