Mumbai, July 1 (IANS) Maharashtra Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar on Wednesday informed the state assembly during question hour that the Cabinet has approved the recruitment of 5,000 new positions in the public health department to tackle the manpower shortage across state medical facilities.

He announced that the hiring process will be accelerated this week.

Coinciding with National Doctors’ Day today, appointment orders for 1,400 doctors are being issued immediately, with an additional 600 doctors to be recruited soon.

Furthermore, following High Court directives, 1,900 Community Health Officer (CHO) positions will also be filled shortly.

“With these new approvals and immediate doctor appointments, all state hospitals will soon be equipped with the required manpower, medical devices, and necessary facilities,” the minister said.

Replying to a query by MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar, Minister Abitkar stated that pending funds for sub-district hospitals will be released within a week.

The state has prioritised pending construction projects, allocating funds first to hospital buildings that are 50 per cent, 70 per cent, 75 per cent, and 90 per cent complete.

Outstanding dues for ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and other contractual employees who served during the COVID-19 pandemic will also be cleared on priority.

Taking a strict stance on third-party recruitment agencies violating rules regarding contract workers’ salaries, Provident Fund (PF), and ESIC compliance, the minister revealed that two to three agencies have already been blacklisted.

“Criminal cases will be registered against defaulting organisations if required,” he said.

Further, Minister Abitkar in the state assembly today said that the public health department will soon introduce a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all nursing colleges across Maharashtra to ensure strict discipline, regularity, and student safety.

He shared this update while replying to a calling attention motion raised by MLA Pravin Datke regarding an alleged food poisoning incident involving 45 female students at the Government Nursing Training School under the District General Hospital in Gondia.

Minister Abitkar clarified that according to the reports submitted by a three-member inquiry committee and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Gondia, the illnesses were not caused by food poisoning.

He assured the house that the food and drinking water supplied to the girls’ hostel in Gondia are being checked regularly. To prevent any future health scares and to maintain administrative uniformity across the state, the new SOPs will be rolled out to all nursing institutions comprehensively.

Meanwhile, Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore during the Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly announced that Gram Panchayat computer operators (Centre Coordinators) working under the Aaple Sarkar Seva Kendra project will now receive their honorariums regularly between the 1st and 5th of every month.

Minister Gore confirmed that honorariums up to March 2026 have already been distributed, and the remaining pending dues will be cleared shortly.

He was responding to a question raised by Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Babanrao Lonikar regarding the long-standing demands of the computer operators.

The Centre Coordinators operate as Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), providing various Business-to-Consumer (B2C) services to citizens, which serves as an additional source of income. The government provides a monthly honorarium of Rs 10,000 as financial assistance for supporting Gram Panchayat administration, the minister said.

Addressing demands for permanent status, Minister Gore noted that the Yawalkar Committee, established to review salary hikes and administrative restructuring for Gram Panchayat staff, did not recommend granting computer operators the status of permanent Gram Panchayat employees or applying minimum wage laws to them.

Minister Gore added that the government has held multiple meetings with operator unions, and all their structural demands are currently being evaluated at the state level. Assembly members Sudhir Mungantiwar, Amit Deshmukh, and Nana Patole also participated in the discussion.

–IANS

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