The contractual AYUSH doctors who are working under the National Health Mission cannot be included under the Employees Provident Fund scheme, Health and Family Welfare Minister informed in the State Assembly on Friday. The Minister said this while replying to a question put by Basant Kumar Panda and additional questions put by many other members. Member Pradip Kumar Purohit participated in the discussion on behalf of Basant Kumar Panda.
The Minister said the AYUSH doctors can’t be provided with EPF facility as the Centre has instructed not to provide funds for the purpose.The Centre said it would not provide any fund to the grant-in-aid institutions which have excluded from the operation of the EPF and Miscellaneous Provision Act, 1962 till March 31, 2015. The Minister said the State Government has been giving permanent incentive of Rs3,000 and KBK allowance of Rs4,000 with base remuneration of Rs17,000 to encourage them to work in KBK areas.
Similarly, performance incentive of Rs3,000 is being given to the AYUSH doctors working in non-KBK areas. Infrastructural facilities, including quarters, for doctors in the KBK areas are being build up on war-footing to attract more doctors in those areas, the Minister said. To another question related to doctors’ transfer, the Minister said doctors are being transferred as per the promotion policy adopted by the General Administration Department and hence they are being frequently transferred. As many as 52 doctors have been dismissed from service for not joining place of work, the Minister said.