Former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has turned his attention to the unemployed youth of Chandigarh as the Lok Sabha 2024 elections approach. Consequently, Bansal has entered the electoral field, initiating a daily discourse on issues pertinent to Chandigarh. In this regard, he has begun posing questions to the current MP, Kirron Kher. Although Bansal had previously announced in a meeting that he would not contest the elections, his focus on the people of Chandigarh has compelled him to reconsider. He is now actively participating in the electoral fray, challenging MP Kirron Kher on various fronts.
Bansal specifically questioned Kher’s decision to raise the age limit for government jobs in Chandigarh to 35 years. He demanded answers on how many individuals have been provided with these jobs over the past 10 years. Additionally, Bansal vehemently objected to the Health Ministry’s rejection of the review proposal for 102 posts in GMCH 32. He criticized the deliberate delay in filling vacant positions in crucial health sector institutions in Chandigarh, including PGI, GMCH 32, and Sector 16 hospital. According to Bansal, the government leaves these posts unfilled for three years, and if a proposal is rejected, it poses a significant risk to the city’s health system. Given the increasing patient burden, the demand for staff in these institutions continues to rise.
GMCH 32 currently has 34 faculty posts and 68 other positions lying vacant. Despite demands in 2022 and 2023, the Health Department of the Central Government not only failed to fill these positions but also canceled them. Bansal criticized the Modi government, citing Narendra Modi’s promise to provide jobs to 2 crore youth annually. He expressed disappointment over the government’s approach, which keeps already vacant positions unfilled for three years, particularly in the critical health sector.
Moreover, Bansal highlighted a continuous shortage of employees in various departments of the UT Administration. The government’s policies have created a situation where, in the last one and a half years, 115 clerks and stenographers have resigned