Naga Mothers’ Association urges Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to resolve dispute over regularisation of Covid-era healthcare workers in Nagaland.
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DIMAPUR — Amid the ongoing controversy over regularisation of Covid-era healthcare workers in Nagaland, the Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) has appealed to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to intervene and help find an “amicable solution” to the impasse between the state government and student bodies.
In a representation addressed to the chief minister, the NMA stated that it had received an appeal from the Joint Action Committee of Covid-era appointed healthcare workers—comprising doctors, nurses, dentists and laboratory technicians serving in district hospitals, community health centres (CHCs) and primary health centres (PHCs) across the state.
The association pointed out that the state government had issued a notification on December 16, 2025, regularising the services of 97 medical officers engaged during the pandemic under the Health and Family Welfare department.
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However, the order was subsequently put on hold following objections raised by the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), which demanded revocation of the notification and sought that all 280 posts be requisitioned to the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) and the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) for recruitment through open advertisement and competitive examinations.
The NSF has also proposed granting grace marks and a one-time age relaxation exclusively for Covid-era appointees.
According to the NMA, the state Cabinet in its February 3 meeting decided to keep the regularisation orders on hold and constituted a High Power Committee (HPC) to hold discussions with the NSF on the issue.
While acknowledging that the NSF’s stand is aimed at safeguarding fair recruitment opportunities for Naga youth, the NMA underscored that the Covid-19 pandemic had created an unprecedented health emergency, prompting the government to recruit frontline workers through a special recruitment drive following open advertisement.
According to the association, it had also taken note of observations made by the courts and urged the government to arrive at a fair resolution, pointing out that the present situation had arisen due to decisions taken by the department concerned and the state government.
Appreciating the services rendered by the frontline workers during the pandemic, the NMA appealed that the HPC submit a fair recommendation at the earliest to resolve the dispute.