PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The president of the Nursing Ekta Manch (NEM) Naval Pundir said that they, along with unemployed nursing graduates from across the State, will march towards the chief minister’s residence on Monday 8 to demand action on their unaddressed concerns. The unemployed nursing graduates from across the State have been protesting December 5 at Ekta Vihar and this protest was also continued on Sunday, marking the third day of their demonstrations.
The unemployed nursing graduates, under the banner of the NEM, are protesting due to a number of unresolved issues, including the need for transparency in the recruitment process for nursing officials, the immediate closure of the examination portal and other related matters.
Pundir said that unemployed nursing graduates in the State have consistently voiced their demands, yet no action has been taken regarding these longstanding requests. He said that several years ago, a written examination for recruiting nursing officials was announced, but it was later cancelled when authorities decided that selection should be on the basis of year-wise seniority of candidates who completed their qualifying examinations. Consequently, after this selection at that time was done a seniority basis. The recent advertisement for nursing positions based on written exams has caused concern within the nursing community, as it is viewed as unfair to the more senior graduates. In light of this, they, along with over 500 to 700 unemployed nursing graduates from across the State have participated in the ongoing protests since Friday, he said.
“During the protest on December 6 we hjad also submitted a letter written in blood to the government regarding our demands. So far, there has been no assurance from the authorities on addressing these concerns,” Pundir said. He said given this situation, they have decided to march towards the CM residence and perform a gherao. Approximately 700 unemployed nursing graduates from across the State are expected to participate. Pundir emphasised that this protest will continue until the State government takes action on their demands.
It will be recalled that in addition to their demands for a seniority-based examination, the unemployed nursing graduates are also calling for the immediate closure of the examination portal. Their other demands include the recruitment of over 2,500 nursing positions each year in accordance with IPHS standards. Further, they are demanding special age relaxation for candidates who have exceeded the age limit due to prolonged delays and that priority be given to candidates who are natives of Uttarakhand.
