By | Mir Iqbal
Srinagar: In a dramatic twist, the Jammu and Kashmir National Health Mission Employees Association (JKNHMEA) has cancelled its highly-awaited protest after the administration finally released their long-outstanding salaries on Thursday evening. The move is a welcome relief for thousands of NHM employees who had been living on tenterhooks, fighting months of financial insecurity.
Chief spokesperson Abdul Rauoof, in an interview to Spotlight, acknowledged the development and said that given the release of salary, the association has agreed to postpone the planned protest on March 29, 2025, at the Chief Minister’s residence. However, he categorically said this is only an interim relief and the association will not waver from its stand for a permanent mechanism so that such delays don’t occur again in the future.
While staff might have gotten their dues this time, the lingering anger persists. Most workers have had to endure unimaginable struggles, from being unable to pay rent to suffering from crippling debts. It is not the first time NHM staff have been compelled to hit the streets, and if past records are anything to go by, late salary payment has been a nightmare they have had to endure. The group has promised to continue putting pressure on the government, with a central committee meeting to be organized after Eid to come up with long-term solutions to ensure such crises do not arise again.
For the moment, the protest is off, but the frustration festers below the surface. The administration might have avoided an immediate confrontation, but if it doesn’t deal with the underlying reason for these delays, NHM staff could once again be compelled to raise their voices—and this time, they might not stand down so quietly.
