Will strike work on June 23 in Punjab: PCMS doctors

Ludhiana, June 20

Slamming the state for delinking the non-practicing allowance (NPA) from the basic pay, the PCMS Association, Punjab, on Sunday decided to observe a statewide strike on Wednesday.

After a meeting, Dr Rohit Rampal, president, PCMS Association, Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, said the medical fraternity was unhappy with the 6th Pay Commission as it wasn’t beneficial for them. “We have submitted a memorandum to the Health Minister to rollback the new NPA norms. In this regard, we have decided to go on a strike across the state on Wednesday,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr JP Narula, state president, Rural Medical Services Association, said: “Doctors have been working hard since the Covid outbreak and this is their reward? What to expect of allowance or bonus, the government had instead reduced their salaries.”

“Initially, the NPA at 25% was a part of the pay for calculating all allowances. Now with the 6th Pay Commission, the NPA has been delinked from the pay and reduced to 20%, which means it has been fixed now and no other allowances will be calculated on the NPA.”

“The decision will remarkably affect the net salary of all government doctors,” he added. — TNS

Assns oppose move

Chandigarh: Various associations of doctors on Sunday opposed the move to delink the NPA from the basic pay. Rural Medical Officers’ Association, Senior Vet Officers’ Association, Veterinary Officers’ Association and Ayurvedic Doctors’ Association have decided to come on a common platform to oppose the govt move. TNS