Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Spokesperson, Jammu Kashmir, Rajni Sethi, expressed serious concern over the ongoing protest by NHM employees in Jammu and Kashmir and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to move beyond meetings and assurances and take concrete, time-bound decisions to address their genuine demands.
She said that the Chief Minister, who also holds the Finance portfolio, has recently chaired a meeting to review healthcare infrastructure and services in Jammu and Kashmir and has spoken about addressing shortcomings in the healthcare sector. While such initiatives are welcome, improving infrastructure alone cannot resolve the challenges facing the healthcare system. The government must also address the concerns of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and, particularly, NHM employees who constitute an important part of healthcare delivery across the Union Territory.
She pointed out that NHM employees have been raising issues related to job security, remuneration, social security and other service-related matters for a considerable period. On September 14, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary himself described their demands as “genuine”. If the government considers their demands genuine, it must explain what concrete steps have been taken so far and what mechanism and timeline have been decided for resolving them.
The BJP spokesperson said that as Chief Minister and Finance Minister, Omar Abdullah has a direct responsibility to ensure that the concerns of NHM employees are examined seriously and addressed with urgency. The government should clearly spell out the financial and administrative roadmap for considering and implementing their legitimate demands.
She cautioned that any prolonged NHM strike would ultimately affect the common citizen. NHM employees play a crucial role, particularly in rural, remote and underserved areas, and disruption of their services can put additional pressure on an already stretched healthcare system and cause hardship to patients and their families. She further said that the government must focus not only on buildings and infrastructure but also on adequate manpower, availability of medicines, nursing and paramedical staff, strengthening of primary healthcare facilities and effective healthcare delivery in rural areas.
MGNREGA Issues Also Need Immediate Attention
The BJP spokesperson also urged the Jammu and Kashmir Government to give immediate attention to the pending concerns of MGNREGA workers and ensure effective implementation of the rural employment programme.
She said that thousands of rural families depend on MGNREGA for livelihood support and that timely payment of wages, clearance of pending dues, adequate availability of employment and proper allocation and execution of works at the Panchayat level must be ensured.
She stressed the need for stronger monitoring at the Panchayat and district levels, greater transparency in the execution of works and timely payment of wages to eligible workers. Delays in wages or inadequate availability of work can have a direct impact on economically weaker rural families.
MGNREGA, she said, is not merely an employment programme but an important source of livelihood and financial security for rural households. Therefore, its benefits must reach the intended beneficiaries effectively and without unnecessary delays.
She urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to immediately initiate a high-level dialogue with NHM employees, examine their genuine demands and present a clear, transparent and time-bound roadmap for their resolution, while simultaneously ensuring timely employment, wages and proper implementation of MGNREGA.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir need solutions, not merely assurances. NHM employees need clarity about their future, while MGNREGA workers need timely employment and wages. The government must demonstrate through concrete action that the concerns of these sections are being taken seriously,” she said.
