State Health minister Rajendra Prasad Singh assured to fulfill the demands of students pursuing their paramedical diploma courses in Government medical colleges including Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS, Ranchi), Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College (MGM, Jamshedpur) and Patliputra Medical College (PMC, Dhanbad) without any affiliation.
These students across the state of present three sessions were on hunger strike for past three days since their course is not recognized by State Government and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
Besides, this problem irregular theory classes, no stipend facility, no infrastructure, delayed examinations followed with publication of result in hand written form are also among the major demands of these students.
Requesting the students to end the strike on Thursday evening at RIMS the health minister said, “These courses were launched in 2006 without the affiliation of any education board. However, in 2010 a letter was issued by the state government on affiliation of this course but nothing has been done till date. I will make sure that this course is affiliated soon so that the future of paramedical students is ensured. We seek to frame an authorized body consisting five guardians, five professors and five media persons to look over this matter.”
According to the suffering students they are admitted in the course through entrance examination conducted by Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination but the course has no affiliation. “It is useless to pursue this course in job and academic perspective since it is not affiliated. Our future is in doldrums with this course,” said a paramedical student.
As about 270 paramedical students of RIMS were on hunger strike including batches of 2011-13, 2012-14 and 2013-15 in front of RIMS Director’s office since Tuesday but it was their sixth day of protest in the form of strike.
Time and again these students were verbally assured by RIMS Director Dr Tulsi Mahto to fulfill their demands. Early morning on Thursday the strike took a toll when the students requested authorities to allow them to meet the Director. They were not allowed. As a result of this agitation, the glass of the entrance gate of Director’s chamber was broken by the students.
Dr Mahto then filed an FIR against these students and large number of forces people were deployed to manage the situation. After a discussion between RIMS administration and these students, the later were allowed to meet the Health Minister in the afternoon.
“The matter is no more within my limitation. It is in the hands of State Health department since the affiliation and other issues are sanctioned by State Government,” said Dr Mahto.