By: Sanjeev Verma
The Himachal Pradesh government in its cabinet meeting on June 09, almost doubled the contractual remuneration and incentives of the medical officers and medical specialists, posted in remote areas like Lahaul & Spiti, Pangi, Dodra Kwar, Kinnaur and Chamba. Firstly, such a great hike in pay is irrational which most of us have never seen before. Secondly, if the government has taken such a decision, then why a step-motherly treatment has been meted out to other medical and para-medical staff working with the same medical officers ?
It is understood that doctors’ indifferent attitude towards remote and rural postings has compelled the government to take such a decision. This is to prevent medical facilities getting paralysed in such areas. But then the same problems exist with the employees of other departments, working in remote areas, who keep on chasing the ministers for comfortable postings. What initiatives are being taken by the government? By setting such a precedence the government is only calling trouble for itself with other departmental staff too demanding a hike and getting on to the road with frequent strikes
Instead the government should have come up with stringent policies to tackle the problem. This will only lead to overburdening the government exchequer. One of the suggestions could be to divide the state into different zones on geographical basis. It should be made mandatory to rotate the employees in all the zones. A minimum and maximum period of posting at a place should be decided, which can be comparatively a lesser period in remote areas and more in urban areas.
Of late, it has been observed that some of the influential employees don’t move out of a particular area for most of their service period, whereas, the employees with no political approach keep on getting transferred even before completion of a minimum period of posting at a place.
Such policies should not only be kept to files but should be practised in letter and spirit irrespective of the political party in power. Most of the time, as we see now-a-days in Shimla, ministers are busy with the transfers, which leave them with almost very less time to think of developmental work.
* The views expressed, may not necessarily be of HimVani. These are opinons of the writer.
