Gadchiroli Sept. 3 (District Correspondent) The ‘indefinite no-work agitation’ launched by the contract employees working under National Health mission (NHM) entered 16 th day today but no any action has been taken by the state government about their demands as yet.
Despite heavy rains and cloudy weather, the employees have been continuing their agitation in a small shed in the premises of the district hospital here. The employees working in other talukas have also been resorting to the same agitation at their respective taluka headquarters.
The agitation, however has affected the routine work of the health services as many of the employees including ANMs, health workers etc have abstained from their work. The employees have now decided to intensify their agitation and launch sit in agitation in Mumbai to press for their demands.
The main demand of these employees is to include them in regular government service as per the government GR dated March 14, 2024 which states that the employees of NHM serving for more than 10 years will be regularized. Even after 18 months, this GR has not been implemented by the government hence there is a great deal of discontent among the employees.
In Gadchiroli district, as many as 1200 employees are participating in no work agitation. These employees have been working in a very negligible honorarium of Rs. 15,000 to 2000 per month and rendering health services under very odd conditions.
Many public representatives and political leaders have paid visits to the agitation and extended their support to the demands. They also assured the employees to take up the matter with the state government but so far, no any action has been taken.
The issue of the contract employees was included in the speech of Governor and also in the chief minister’s action programme, but no any decision has yet been taken, told Mr. Jitendra Kotgale, district convenor of the employee’s union. The employees have been facing tremendous financial difficulties due to meagre wages; he pointed out and demanded that the GR should immediately be implemented to give relief to the employees.
Rajkumar Dewke, Vaishali Bobate, Dr. Prashant Dhawde, Varsha Kolte, Ravikiran Bhadange, Dr. Shilpa Kohle are the other officials are leading the agitation.
