Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 24
Director of the National Health Mission (Finance), Kavita Singh today said the Nagaland chapter of the NHM, under the Department of Health & Family Welfare is suffering due to non-release of central funds meant for the health mission by the Nagaland State Treasury.
The NHM Director is learnt to have arrived in Kohima on Thursday to meet with the Finance Commissioner to inquire on the state of affairs in connection with the funding of NHM programmes. However, with the Commissioner reportedly out of station, she could only have a meeting with the Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
Speaking to The Morung Express on Friday, Singh observed that health programmes in the State were not making progress; employees were not getting their salaries; social health activities were not getting their incentives and there is shortage of funds to implement programmes.
“The reason? State Treasury is not releasing the funds,” the NHM Director, who also held interaction with the Mission Director, NHM and other health department officials, pointed out.
The NHM Director also stated that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India was withholding the release of further funds meant for Nagaland NHM programmes, because the State has not released its share of the fund-sharing pattern.
“…Should question the Finance Commissioner as to why the State Treasury is not releasing funds for the health mission… and why is the State Government not keeping their assurances to release salaries for the NHM employees…” she stated.
According to central directives, allocated funds are transferred to the State Treasury by the central ministry after which it is required to be transferred to the concerned department account within 15-day.
This move of the Central government of transferring the NHM funds directly to the State Treasury instead of the department bank account was to ensure that there is no misuse of the funds.
However, this is apparently not the case in the State, as can be observed with the employees of Nagaland NHM highlighting their suffering for non-release of their salaries for months on numerous occasions in the media.
The State is also not able to match their share of the funding pattern, which is costing dearly in implementation of health programmes.
