A large number of National Health Mission (NHM) employees from all over the State under the banner of All J&K NHM Employees Association today held a peaceful protest rally here from Sher-e Kashmir Park to main Lal chowk in summer capital of Indian Controlled Kashmir, demanding regularization of their services.
NHM Employees working under different NHM schemes viz NHM, RBSK/IDSP/RNTCP/NPCB/NLEP/NVBDCP/NIDDCP from almost all districts of the State participated and raised slogans regarding fulfillment of their genuine demands like regularization of their services.
Protesters said that more than 8000 employees are working under NHM in Jammu and Kashmir and most of them have already crossed the age of upper limit due to which they are not in a position to go for other job. They added that NHM is the only backbone of health care system so Government should acknowledge them and regularize their services.
The main demands highlighted during the protest were immediate regularization of all NHM Employees of J&K on the pattern of ReT or SRO 255, yearly enhancement of their salaries at 10% as per NHM Guideline, immediate release of rural incentives for paramedics, job security to all NHM Employees, maternity leave benefit for female NHM staff with release of their salary, timely salary, bringing all NHM employees under the ambit of new recruitment policy which was framed recently, equal pay for equal work, social security benefit, provident fund benefit and fixed salary for ASHAs.
Later on the protesters started their march towards Civil secretariat which was foiled by huge deployment of Indian police resulting in detaining dozens of employees. The association warned the State Government to concede the demands of NHM employees at an earliest otherwise a mass level agitation would be started all over the State for which the Government would be responsible.