Nagaland: NSF against govt decision to regularise COVID-19 appointees

Guwahati: The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has vehemently opposed a notification by the Department of Health and Family Welfare dated August 18.

The notification regularises 98 contractual Medical Officers and Junior Specialists with other health workers who were picked during the pandemic.

The notification has under its purview 280 posts.

The federation lodged its resentment with the Chief Secretary.

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Calling the decision arbitrary and unconstitutional, it sought that under the Nagaland Health Service Rules, 2006, appointments to Class-I Gazetted posts should be done through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) through competitive examinations.

The decision contradits deprives equal opportunity to aspirants.

The federation however does acknowledge the dedication of the doctors and healthcare workers during trying circumstances.

Yet, the temporary nature of their appointments had no regulation of making them permanent.

The NSF added that they had earlier suggested special provisions to recognise COVID-19 appointees.

And that included grace marks and one-time age relaxation.

However, that should be implemented only through recruitment by the NPSC or the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB), they demanded.

The federation wants earliest cancellation of the notification and all 280 posts should be notified to the NPSC and NSSB for open recruitment.

Any indifference to their demand would meet with stringent protests.