RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Oct.23: It will be wrong to blame the government, if 50,000 contract health workers who are likely to proceed on strike from November 8 for various demands. Instead of governments, three IAS officers including development commissioner Arun Kumar Singh, personnel secretary Vandana Dadel and finance secretary Ajay Kumar Singh should be blamed for the situation.
An NHM contract employee shared his feeling with Lagatar24.com saying governments come and go but bureaucrats stay for a long time enjoying power and position but they hardly deal with any major issue till contempt notices are not issued against them.
“If bureaucrats, who have permanent jobs unlike government ministers having tenure of five years, do not work despite getting all facilities, who will work on their behalf,” the NHM contract worker questioned.
“Arun Kumar Singh, Ajay Kumar Singh and Dadel are supposed to handle the contract workers working for NHM besides other departments but what to talk about handling the matter they even failed to sit together in the last 14 months to discuss the issue. During the big programme they claim the achievement of successfully handling the second wave of corona pandemic but never tell anyone about those contract workers who played their important role taking life risk,” the employee said.
Jwala Prasad, a contract worker who used to work as state programme manager, supported the fact saying development commissioner Singh, having additional charge of principal secretary terminated his service when he expressed his concern over delayed payment.
“Though the official reason behind my termination was attributed to my noting on the file related to permission for allotment of work involving Rs 5.75 lakh to an NGO Navadeep Foundation but the unofficial reason was my money discussion with Singh, who is supposed not only to take care of health workers but also sort out the issue of contract workers,” Prasad said expressing his concern over the situation.
Joint secretary of Jharkhand Anubandh Karmachari Mahasangh, Sushil Kumar Pandey echoed the same.
“The Health department depends on contract workers, including nurses, lab technicians, pharmacists, OT attendants, doctors besides others but the shameless bureaucrats are not able to arrange their salary. Contract workers have not got their salary for various months. Apart from the contract health workers Poshan Sakhis, Swashtya Sahiyas also have not got their honorarium for the last several months. In this situation, how come one can respect a bureaucrat? We have planned to proceed on strike from November 8,” Pandey said.
This is not the first time anger against bureaucrats has been reflected in the state. Several legislators during assembly proceedings have informed the speaker about the autocracy of bureaucrats. They have blamed bureaucrats who skip answers to reply to any questions raised on the floor of the house. They have also complained regarding getting partial and vague replies asking the speaker to intervene in the matter.
