Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 27: Several men and women engaged in various health institutions under the National Health Mission (NHM) were detained today after they staged a protest against their termination and demanded continuation of their services.
The police acted against the health workers shortly after they staged a sit-in in front of the statue of Maharaja Hari Singh near main Tawi bridge in the heart of the city and tried to disrupt the traffic movement. They raised slogans to press for the continuation of their services. Several workers, both men and women, were detained and whisked away in a police bus.
“The Government is exercising a ‘use and throw’ policy with us. During the peak of first wave of COVID-19 when nobody was ready to come out of their homes, we worked with full dedication, risking our lives,” said protesting NHM employees.
They said, “We were promised that if we served in the best way during the COVID period, we will be regularized in the services. But instead of regularization, they threw us out after using us during the worst COVID period and only on the intervention of the LG, we were given extension of 6 months with the promise to give us priority in regular services.”
“The extended period ended on April 7 but no decision has yet been taken by the authorities on the continuation of our services or providing jobs to us through recruitment board,” the protesting employees said.
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