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Dimapur, July 23 (EMN): The National People's Party (NPP) Nagaland unit on Friday lauded the efforts of the state government in creating health awareness and trying to keep the public safe from the ongoing pandemic but expressed dismay at the recent directive to government employees and staff of educational institutions to either get Covid-19 vaccine or produce negative test report every 15 days at their own expenses to attend office.
The party asked how people could afford to take test for Covid-19 every 15 days amid inflation problem and suggested tests free for everyone the cess pool and Central or state fund.
Citing the government’s order to stop the salaries of employees who don’t comply to its directive, the NPP Nagaland also asked about those unvaccinated people who are freely going about in the streets.
Terming the order as a direct challenge to Article 21 of Indian Constitution, it demanded the state government to immediately withdraw it and appealed “to look out for an alternative ways of conducting the offices, schools and colleges without hindering the proceedings of daily works”.
“It is undeniable that at this juncture, vaccination is the need of the hour, but we can only go to the extreme of encouraging each and every citizen rather than manipulating them through holding leverage of their basic necessities and right to work,” read the press release.
It may be recalled that the state government had issued an order directing the employees in the Nagaland Civil Secretariat and Directorates to get vaccinated to attend office, or produce Covid-negative test report every 15 days either through RT-PCR, TrueNat or CBNAAT on self payment in the interest of public health and safety.
The order went on to state that salaries of those who have not taken a single dose of vaccine or failed to furnish Covid negative test report will be stopped beyond July 31 and wouldn’t be allowed to attend office; and the absence period will be treated as leave without pay.