Nagaland medical students to continue agitation against regularisation of Covid-19 appointees

DIMAPUR — The Nagaland Medical Students’ Association (NMSA) has announced it will continue its agitation on September 1 against the state government’s decision to regularise contractual COVID-19 appointees in the Department of Health and Family Welfare.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the NMSA said it stood firmly against the Health department’s August 18 notification that sought to regularise 280 contractual appointees.

The association said a peaceful procession would begin from the Secretariat Bus Stand in Kohima at 9:30 am, proceeding towards the Health and Family Welfare department, where the demonstration will be held. It called upon student bodies, civil organisations, and citizens to join in solidarity and assign representatives to deliver messages during the protest.

Also read: Nagaland medical students protest regularisation of Covid era health posts

Its demands include immediate revocation of the notification and requisitioning of all sanctioned posts to the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) and the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB), to be filled through open advertisement, written examination, and viva voce as per service rules.

Meanwhile, the Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) has extended its support to the protest, terming the government’s decision “unconstitutional and arbitrary.”

In its statement, CTAN said the move undermines meritocracy and established recruitment norms and urged all its federating units to participate in the protest in solidarity with the NMSA.