The indefinite strike by employees of the National Health Mission (NHM) in Chhattisgarh entered its 23rd day on Tuesday, with protests intensifying across State. In Jashpurnagar, employees staged a ‘Jal Satyagraha’, or protest in water, to express their determination and condemn what they called the Government’s ‘insensitive’ and ‘double-standard’ attitude. The NHM Employees Union has fiercely opposed the administrative action, including the dismissal of some of its officials. Union leader Shatrughan Baghel stated that the dismissals have only strengthened the resolve of the employees, who are now preparing for mass resignations and other forms of protest if their demands are not met with a written order.

 

The union has denied the Health Minister’s claims that five of their major demands have been fulfilled. The employees are insisting on a concrete, written order on their ten-point list of demands. These demands include the regularisation of services, an increase in wages, and the implementation of the ‘equal pay for equal work’ principle. In response, the state’s Health Minister, Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, has appealed to the employees to call off their strike and return to work, acknowledging the adverse impact on the public. He has stated that a committee has been formed to review the demands and that a permanent solution will be worked out, but he has not offered a timeline or a written guarantee that the union is seeking.