*CITU seeks LG’s intervention
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 27: The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Jammu & Kashmir has soght intervention of the Lt Governor as the NHM staff and Asha workers are without wages for the last over three months.
In a meeting held today in Jammu, CITU members expressed serious concern over the inordinate and unjustified delay in the disbursement of wages to thousands of NHM employees and ASHA workers working under the National Health Mission (NHM) in the Union Territory issued the press statement stating that dedicated healthcare warriors have not received their salaries for the past three months, pushing them and their families into severe financial distress.
Despite the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, issuing the first mother sanction of Rs 414.72 crore on September 9, 2025, as grant-in-aid for the NHM, the crucial healthcare machinery remains paralyzed due to the non-release of the corresponding UT share. As per the funding pattern of the scheme (90:10 ratio), the Jammu & Kashmir administration is required to contribute Rs 46.08 crore, which has still not been approved. This delay is a blatant violation of the principles reinforced by the Supreme Court under the Payment of Wages Act, 1936, which mandates that wages must be paid to employees within seven days of the completion of the wage period.
The meeting noted that while the NHM administration has announced a 5% salary increment for the financial year 2025-26, the failure to ensure the timely release of even the basic wages renders such announcements meaningless and adds to the frustration of the employees. The ongoing festival season has exacerbated the financial hardship faced by these workers. The delay has made it impossible for them to meet essential expenses for their children’s education, family healthcare, and festival celebrations, causing immense mental anguish.
Many employees, including ASHA workers who are often called the backbone of the grassroots healthcare system, are struggling to afford even basic commuting costs to their work places. It is an irony that those who work relentlessly to uphold the public health system are themselves left vulnerable.
The CITU urged the NHM management and the UT administration led by LG Manoj Sinha to immediately release the pending wages for the last three months without any further delay.
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