Dimapur, November 1 (MExN): The Rising People’s Party (RPP) on Monday stated that it is “amused” at the allegations of government ‘sources’ blaming the RPP for their own their lack of responsibility concerning shortage of staff in the Health & Family Welfare Department.
“The truth of the matter is that the H&FW Department is incompetent,” alleged RPP in a press release on November 1. “The department admitting to acute shortage of funds seems to be nothing short of admission of misappropriation of funds by the department itself. If there is no misappropriation then the department should furnish itemized expenditure lists with regard to its own admission that a whopping Rs 245.44 Cr has already been spent so far for Covid related activities for the year 2020-22 along with 25% of LAPD funds for emergency,” RPP stated.
“The Chief Minister and the Health Minister both must furnish answers as to where and how this huge amount of funds has been utilized,” it demanded.
It also stated that on March 24, 2020, the Government of India ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days. On April 22, 2020, Government of Nagaland issued an Office Memorandum (OM) “to ban all fresh appointments including vacancies arising against sanctioned posts in all Government Departments until further orders.” The OM also stated that “This will not apply to medical staff (Doctors, Nurses, Technicians, and Para-medics) of Health & Family Welfare Department who have been given a special dispensation vide this Department's notification of even number dated 1st April, 2020.”
Stating that it is already one and half year since the April 1, 2020 OM was issued, RPP questioned, “So if there's still shortage of staff in the department, who or what stopped the H&FWD from conducting its own recruitment process? In the light of the above facts, the allegation of the ‘sources’ is not only unfounded but cheap.”
On the shortage of staff in the other departments, it stated that while the ‘source’ would like to blame the RPP for the student community, “the Chief Minister himself is clearly responsible for the delay in operationalization NSSB till date. This is even after the NSSB Act was passed in July 2020 evidence of which is irrefutable.”
