Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Saturday, 13 June 2026 attended the state-level grand conference of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh National Health Mission (NHM) Employees Union held at the Balbir Singh Juneja Indoor Stadium in Raipur, where he announced that contractual NHM workers would be paid wages for their 33-day strike period.

Context

Addressing the pradesh-stariya mahasammelan (state-level grand convention), CM Sai described NHM employees as the 'reedh ki haddi' — the 'backbone' — of the state's health services. He credited them with delivering healthcare to even the most remote and difficult-to-reach areas of Chhattisgarh. The announcement of wages for the 33-day strike period was the centrepiece of the event, framed as a significant concession to the workforce.

The Chief Minister stated that the contribution of NHM workers in building a 'Swasth Chhattisgarh' (Healthy Chhattisgarh) is 'unparalleled' and that the government respects their work. The convention drew NHM staff from across the state, reflecting the scale of the contractual health workforce that underpins primary care delivery in Chhattisgarh.

Policy Backdrop

The National Health Mission was launched by the Central government in 2013, subsuming the earlier National Rural Health Mission of 2005, with the goal of strengthening rural health infrastructure through a large contractual workforce. These workers — including ANMs, ASHAs, lab technicians, and paramedics — form the frontline of public health delivery across India's states and union territories.

Contractual NHM staff across several Indian states have periodically gone on strike since the mid-2010s, demanding wage parity with regular government employees, job security, and regularisation of service. The tension between the mission-mode flexible hiring model and the workforce's demand for formalisation has been a recurring friction point in India's public health administration. Chhattisgarh, a state with a large tribal and rural population, is particularly dependent on this cadre for last-mile health delivery.

Stakeholders and Impact

The immediate beneficiaries of CM Sai's announcement are the contractual NHM workers who had participated in the strike and stood to lose wages for those 33 days. By committing to release these wages, the state government addresses a direct financial grievance that had remained unresolved since the industrial action concluded.

The broader beneficiaries are the rural and tribal communities of Chhattisgarh who depend on NHM workers for immunisation, maternal health, disease surveillance, and primary care. Improved morale and financial security among this workforce can directly translate into more consistent service delivery in underserved regions. The BJP government under Sai, which came to power in December 2023, has positioned welfare delivery as a core governance priority.

What's Next

The critical follow-through will be the release of actual funds from the state budget to cover the announced strike-period wages. Observers will also watch whether this announcement opens the door to broader negotiations on regularisation of NHM contractual staff or revision of pay scales — demands that have historically followed such concessions in other states.

For CM Sai's administration, the move signals a willingness to engage with organised labour in the health sector ahead of what remains a complex policy challenge: building a stable, motivated public health workforce without converting the mission-mode staffing model into a permanent government payroll commitment.