Kokrajhar, July 8: The Village Health Guide Association, Kokrajhar district committee, today demanded release of arrears, current salary and regularisation of services of the cadres discharging their services as health guides in Assam since the initiation of the scheme.

The association today submitted a memorandum to the chief minister and health minister through the deputy commissioner's office in Kokrajhar.

Lakhmimai Borgoyary and Santi Karmakar, president and secretary of the association respectively, said since 1986, services under the health guide scheme in Assam have been discharged by about 18,689 employees in different cadres, engaged by the department of health, government of Assam.

"It is a matter of ultimate sorrow that though the sch-eme has been running on paper by the government of India, the engaged employees are not getting their salaries. The poor workers have been deprived of their legitimate remuneration," the release said.

The association said the year-wise implementation report submitted by Assam to the authority concerned in the government of India from the year of introduction of the scheme in 1977 to 1991 was an initial remuneration of Rs 50 to Rs 100.

It was increased to Rs 900 from 1991 to 2001, which was increased again to Rs 1,435 between 2001 and 2010. In 2014, it was further increased to Rs 3,000, according to members of the association.

The health guide service was introduced by the Centre in 1977 with its own financial sanction for ensuring proper health services to underprivileged people living in remote villages.