Tamenglong, August 28: The implementation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Janini Suraksha Yojana (JSY) launched by the Government of India in 2005 to ensure health care facilities to the people living in remote rural areas has turned out to be a big joke in Tamenglong district of Manipur with some unscrupulous officials reaping the benefits at the cost of ignorant workers of the said Mission.

Under this Mission, Village Health and Sanitation Committees have been set up comprising Accredited Social Health Activities (ASHAs) and Panchayati Raj Institute members.

A Committee normally consists of 10 members who have volunteered for tasks like tree plantation, cleaning of wells and ponds so as to prevent stagnation of water in village surroundings.

Each Committee is also entitled to receive a sum of Rs 10,000 annually after opening a Bank account in the nearest bank.

However, the shocking fact of the failure of the health mission in the district came to the fore during a recent survey conducted.

It was learnt that the wages entitled to the workers have been siphoned off by the higher ranking officials atleast in the district headquarters if not in interior sub-divisions of the district.

One of the workers confided that a training programme for the workers (ASHAs) had been conducted at the District Hospital last year in the month of March.

Subsequently bank account had also been opened in the UBI Tamenglong Branch.

"Since then we have been toiling in carrying out the assigned duties in the villages but our hard labour has not been rewarded by depriving the entitled wages," rued the worker.

The wages for the workers of ASHA are supposed to be disbursed from 'Untied fund' of the Health Mission.

On hapless worker remarked that she has lost hope on the credibility of the mission and that he is also apprehensive that her bank account may be lapsed because of non-transaction.

Another crestfallen worker added that she along with her co-workers have gone to enquire the manager of the District NHRM, but the manager washed her hands off stating that the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is accountable for it.

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