Principal Correspondent
KOHIMA, JUL 18
Hundreds of employees under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) from all the districts of Nagaland today came together in submitting representing and expressing resentment over the delay in release of their pending salaries for the last four months since April 2014.
The NRHM employees gathered outside the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare (HFW) and submitted a representation to the Managing Director NRHM in presence of other senior officers of the Department in the Conference Hall of the Directorate.
The NRHM employees expressed that due to non-payment of salary to the “sincere and dedicated NRHM employees” since March 2014, the employees are undergoing harrowing financial constraints even to perform daily duties and make ends meet, despite tightening their belts for the welfare of the people and the department.
The District NRHM employees lamented that the salaries of NRHM employees in the Directorate have been cleared till June 2014, whereas employees posted at far flung and difficult areas without salary for so many months are least bothered, which is discriminatory and needs to be justified.
Demanding clearance of their pending salaries within 10-days from today, the NRHM employees also cautioned that “should the department continue to remain dormant, we would be compelled to resort to democratic means of remedies to redress our grievances”.
The angry NRHM employees also revealed that during their meeting with the Directorate officials, they have been assured of taking up the matter at higher level and try to release the pending salaries at the earliest.
They said that during the meeting the employees also highlighted about the irregularity of the Directorate in payment of the salaries, besides the regular negligence and step-motherly treatment meted upon the of the District NRMH employees. Moreover, they also enquired on how the salaries of the NRHM employees of the Directorate were being given salaries on monthly basis till date despite the claims of fund constraint.
On the 10-days ultimatum for release of salary, the NRHM revealed that complying to the request of the MD NRHM and Deputy Director, the aggrieved employees decided to withdraw the same and wait till end of this month.
Meanwhile, sources revealed that the Directorate officials explained to the District NRHM employees that NRHM being a flagship programme of Government of India, all payment are subject to receipt of fund – 90% from Centre and 10% from the state.
The officials also acknowledged the fact that all staff have not received the salaries from April 2014, but the employers are left with no alternative except to wait for the state government to release its share of 2013-14 and GoI to release the first tranche. However, considering the gravity of the situation the authorities are pursing the matter with both the governments and it is expected not to prolong beyond July 2014.
