Village health nurses stage hunger strike in Chennai over unpaid salary
CHENNAI: Around 1,000 village health nurses staged a hunger strike on Friday, putting forward various demands, including releasing of pending salaries and handing over Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme back to the Social Welfare Department.
The one-day hunger strike was organised by the Tamil Nadu Government All Health Nurses Association. The village health nurses (VHNs) demanded that the government hand over the maternity benefit scheme back to the Social Welfare Department or appoint a separate staff for the work.
R Indira, the association’s founder, said, clearing cheques and dispatching money under the scheme is causing a lot of hardship to VHNs. This is affecting their routine field work. They also said 402 VHNs who were appointed in September last year have not received their salaries till date.