Unemployed Youth Protest at Health Department Demanding Jobs...

As speeches by leaders and ministers on recruitment and employment grow longer, the queue of unemployed youths continues to grow as well. Almost every day, unemployed youths are staging protests in various government departments demanding jobs. On Thursday too, unemployed ANM and MPW candidates surrounded Health Department Director Anjan Das, demanding the immediate filling up of vacant posts.

The unemployed youths staged a sit-in protest inside the Director’s office, demanding the immediate recruitment to vacant posts. According to the protesters, by their calculation there are more than 1,200 vacant posts in the Health Department, while official records show 419 vacant posts. They alleged that the department has initiated steps to fill only 100 vacant posts. Their demand was that at least 500 vacant posts be filled immediately, with priority given to 50 to 100 overage unemployed youths.

On this demand, the unemployed youths appealed with folded hands to the Chief Minister. Later, they continued their protest by sitting on the lawn of the Health Department Director’s office.

When asked about the number of vacant ANM and MPW posts, Health Department Director Anjan Das told journalists that there are 409 vacant posts in the department. Of these, steps have been taken to fill 100 posts, and approval has already been received from the Finance Department. He said that once the file reaches him, a recruitment notification will be issued. The Director further expressed hope that the recruitment process would be completed within the next two months.

The protest by unemployed youths at the Health Department office led to some tension in the Gorkha Basti area. Police had to rush to the spot to control the situation. In the presence of the police, many of the unemployed youths broke down in tears.