Mandi (Munish Sood)
Members of the Himachal Pradesh Nurses Association met Health Minister Col Dhani Ram Shandil in Mandi on Sunday (January 26, 2025) and demanded immediate reversal of salary cuts imposed on nurses pursuing higher studies.
Himachal Pradesh Nurses Association chairperson Aruna Luthra said that earlier, nurses were granted full salaries during their higher education programmes, but the current government had introduced significant reductions.
At present, nurses on higher studies are receiving only 40% of their salaries, which she termed as unjust.
Luthra highlighted that in this era of high inflation, it was becoming increasingly difficult for families to manage their expenses. The association appealed to the Health Minister to revoke this decision and reinstate full salaries for nurses as per the earlier policy.
Luthra said ever since the salary cuts were imposed, she had repeatedly met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to address the issue.
She said though the Chief Minister had assured of resolving the matter soon, no official notification had been issued to date. She urged the Chief Minister to fulfill his promise promptly, ensuring that nurses on higher studies could support their families without hardship.
Each year, a batch of 30 to 40 nurses from Mandi district pursues higher education. Previously, they were granted full salaries during this period. However, the current government has revised the policy, allowing only 40% of their salaries, leading to financial challenges for the nurses and their families.
