Friday, August 1

Previous Left govt distributed jobs from party offices: Tripura CM Saha

Agartala, July 31 (IANS) A day after former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar blamed the BJP government for rising unemployment and misgovernance in the state, Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday slammed the previous Left government for “distributing jobs through party offices based on political affiliation”.

The Chief Minister said that the present (BJP) government is providing employment based on merit and through a transparent process.

CM Saha during the state-level training program for Medical Officers (Dental), Nursing Officers, and Community Health Officers (CHOs) at Pragna Bhavan here said: “We don’t believe in divisive policies. Those who governed the state for a long time followed such divisive practices. The former Chief Minister accuses me of distributing jobs, but what is this allegation based on? During their tenure, jobs were handed out from party offices. Only party-affiliated individuals were employed.”

The present government had the courage to provide over 19,000 jobs in a transparent manner and no one has ever challenged the (BJP) government’s recruitment process.

“We all witnessed what happened in the 10,323 teachers’ case. That is part of history now,” CM Saha said.

He further accused the CPI-M of trying to mislead the public with false statements.

Around 10,323 Tripura government school teachers’ jobs were terminated following a Supreme Court verdict upholding a Tripura High Court ruling against their recruitment citing irregularities in recruitment during the Left regime.

The Chief Minister said that government employees had to agitate for Dearness Allowance (DA) earlier.

“Since I assumed office, not a single employee has had to protest. I am actively working to reduce the DA gap with the Centre, though funding is also a concern. Earlier, people had to pay bribes for transfers. Now, no one can claim jobs are given in exchange for money,” Saha claimed.

CM Saha, who also holds the health portfolio, said that the state government has started developing a formula to increase HIV screening.

Noting that Tripura currently has all necessary medical facilities, the dental surgeon tuned politician said that the state now has nine super-specialty health services.

Nearly 90 per cent of diseases are treated within the state and the state also has cancer treatment facilities, he stated.

The Chief Minister said that due to lack of awareness, people are still going outside the state for medical treatment.

Claiming that Tripura Medical College is performing well, Saha said: “We are working to strengthen sub-divisional and district hospitals. Self-development is our priority. We have increased bed capacity at AGMC and GB Hospital and directed the addition of 100 more beds.”

He also informed that kidney transplant procedures have already begun in the state.

“Earlier, patients had to go outside Tripura and spend a lot of money for kidney transplants. But now, we have successfully conducted three transplants in Tripura. We’ve signed a MoU with Mohan Foundation for liver transplants, and we are also in the process of starting bone marrow transplant services,” Saha added.

Former Tripura Chief Minister Sarkar, also a former CPI (M) politburo member on Wednesday while addressing a demonstration in support of various demands includung smart electricity meter, had said that the BJP government before coming to power in Tripura promised to filled up vacacnt 50,000 governments posts but the Chief Minister recently claimed that his government provided only 19,000 jobs.

“The BJP prior to the 2018 assembly polls gave 299 promises, none of the assurance fulfilled yet. A total lawlessness has been prevailing in the state,” alleged Sarkar.

–IANS

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