Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 31: In a pressing demand for immediate action, the steering committee of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) convened a meeting under the chairmanship of Harbans Choudhary, the Working President of BMS. The meeting, attended by key members including Ashok Choudhary, Sachin Bali, Chanan Singh Toor, Shamsher Chand, Sunil Kumar, and Yog Raj Singh, voiced grave concerns over the lackadaisical approach of the State Government concerning the release of the budget for the Jammu Kashmir Employees State Insurance Society (JKESIS).
The governing body meeting of the JKESIS, led by Chief Secretary Sh. Arun Mehta, took place on October 12, 2023. This meeting was especially significant as it was convened after a hiatus of over a year. During this prolonged period of inactivity, the ESI Dispensaries in the region have come to a grinding halt. A severe shortage of essential medicines in these dispensaries has persisted since January 2023, creating immense difficulties for the workforce.
The JKESIS witnesses annual contributions amounting to over 40 crores from the salaries of diligent workers and employers. Yet, medical reimbursement bills exceeding 5 crores have been pending for the past three years, and employees working in these dispensaries have gone without salaries for nearly four months. These critical issues were extensively discussed during the governing body meeting, which holds the authority to address these matters. However, bureaucratic red tape appears to be hindering the delivery of essential services, causing undue suffering to the region's workers and employees.
The BMS fervently appeals to the Honorable Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, and Chief Secretary Arun Mehta to take the grievances of the JKESIS subscribers seriously. These subscribers number in the lakhs, and the delay in budget release is not just an injustice but also casts a significant shadow over the concept of "Good Governance" that the government stands for.
The BMS is resolute in its pursuit of justice for the affected subscribers and seeks prompt and effective measures to address this pressing issue, ensuring the timely availability of healthcare services in the region. |
