PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Unemployed nursing graduates under the banner of the Nursing Ekta Manch (NEM), plan to march and stage a Gherao on Thursday at the residence of Health minister Dhan Singh Rawat due to their ongoing unaddressed demands. This announcement was shared by NEM president Naval Pundir. It should be noted that these nursing graduates have been protesting at Ekta Vihar since December 5, with the demonstration entering its sixth day on Wednesday.
For several days, the unemployed nursing graduates have been advocating for their unmet demands, which include the need for transparency in the recruitment process. They asserted that selection should be based on the year-wise seniority of candidates who have completed their qualifying examination. Additionally, they are calling for the immediate closure of the examination portal and the recruitment of over 2,500 nursing positions each year in accordance with IPHS, among others. Recently, protesters have been demonstrating at Ekta Vihar for many days and under this, they have also made an attempt to march toward the chief minister’s residence. However, the police intervened by setting up barricades to block their path and as of now, no action has been taken regarding their demands.
Pundir said that Wednesday marks the sixth day of the demonstration. Since their demands have not been addressed, they have decided to escalate their protest. In this regard, they plan to conduct a ‘gherao’ and hold a demonstration at the Health minister’s residence on December 11. Over 500 unemployed nursing graduates are expected to participate in this Gherao. He emphasised that the health system will indeed be disrupted due to this Gherao, as nursing graduates appointed from private hospitals will also join in. Pundir stated that the State government is responsible for these disturbances in the health system. He affirmed that the protest will continue until the State government directly addresses their demands.
