<p>Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has refuted BJP MLC Ayanur Manjunath’s allegation that he had ignored contract staff working under the National Health Mission (NHM). </p>.<p>On Sunday, Manjunath called Dr Sudhakar an “inefficient minister,” saying he had done nothing to raise the contract workers’ pay or provide them job security. He also suggested that the minister was yet to act on the government-appointed P N Srinivasachari committee’s recommendations that were submitted a year ago. The committee was formed in 2020 to look into the demands of staff from health and medical education departments. Manjunath was one of its members.</p>.<p> Dr Sudhakar issued a media statement on Tuesday stating that the matter wasn’t for the health department alone to decide. According to him, central and state governments pool money (60:40) to pay the NHM contract staff. Since the central government contributes a bigger share, it has to take the decision (on regularising the NHM contract staff). A proposal has been sent to the Centre in this regard, he added. </p>.<p>According to the minister, NHM contract staff have been given a 5 per cent annual pay hike while experienced employees have been given bonuses. As many as 3,308 employees whose monthly pay was less than Rs 15,000 were given a 15 per cent hike in 2021-22, he added.</p>.<p>Dr Sudhakar, who had announced on Thursday that he had contracted Covid-19, said he had tested negative in a recent RT-PCR test.</p>
<p>Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has refuted BJP MLC Ayanur Manjunath’s allegation that he had ignored contract staff working under the National Health Mission (NHM). </p>.<p>On Sunday, Manjunath called Dr Sudhakar an “inefficient minister,” saying he had done nothing to raise the contract workers’ pay or provide them job security. He also suggested that the minister was yet to act on the government-appointed P N Srinivasachari committee’s recommendations that were submitted a year ago. The committee was formed in 2020 to look into the demands of staff from health and medical education departments. Manjunath was one of its members.</p>.<p> Dr Sudhakar issued a media statement on Tuesday stating that the matter wasn’t for the health department alone to decide. According to him, central and state governments pool money (60:40) to pay the NHM contract staff. Since the central government contributes a bigger share, it has to take the decision (on regularising the NHM contract staff). A proposal has been sent to the Centre in this regard, he added. </p>.<p>According to the minister, NHM contract staff have been given a 5 per cent annual pay hike while experienced employees have been given bonuses. As many as 3,308 employees whose monthly pay was less than Rs 15,000 were given a 15 per cent hike in 2021-22, he added.</p>.<p>Dr Sudhakar, who had announced on Thursday that he had contracted Covid-19, said he had tested negative in a recent RT-PCR test.</p>
