Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 05 October 2023
A delegation from the Andaman Nicobar Rajya Karmachari Mahasangh (ANRKM) held a crucial meeting with the Commissioner – cum – Secretary (Health) of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration recently. The primary agenda of the meeting was to address the pressing issue of pending salary payments for National Health Mission (NHM) staff attached to the State Health Society (SHS).
The employees in question had seen their service periods expire on July 31, 2023. However, the State Health Society had not processed the necessary approvals for extending their service, resulting in a significant delay in salary disbursements. In contrast, the employees in South Andaman, North & Middle Andaman, and Nicobar districts had been successfully granted extensions, and their salaries were disbursed promptly.
Furthermore, the National Ayush Mission, which is a component of NHM, had also been granted extension for all its employees and timely salary payments were ensured. This discrepancy has left approximately 200 NHM staff members attached to the State Health Society in a challenging financial situation, with their salaries pending for the past two months.
During the meeting, the Commissioner – cum – Secretary (Health) attentively listened to the concerns raised by the ANRKM delegation, led by Mr. Jaydeep Kr. Dey, President of ANRKM. The delegation also included Mr. S. Biju Pillai, General Secretary of ANRKM, and Mr. Vijay Nair.
Assuring swift action, the Commissioner – cum – Secretary (Health) pledged to expedite the necessary approvals for extending the service periods of these employees and facilitating the release of their pending salaries.