KKN Gurugram Desk | The Bihar Assembly session is currently underway, and amidst this, paramedical students took to the streets of Patna to protest for their domicile rights. The students, demanding reservation for Bihar residents in paramedical job vacancies, carried out a march from Gandhi Maidan police station towards the Assembly. However, the police stopped their procession near JP Golambar. During the protest, students from various paramedical trades, including lab technicians and X-ray technicians, raised slogans against the government, accusing it of prioritizing candidates from other states over Bihar’s youth.

Why Are Paramedical Students Protesting?

The Bihar Paramedical Association has been raising concerns about domicile-based job reservations for quite some time. Association president Bharat Bhushan revealed that Bihar’s Health Minister Mangal Pandey had attended a recent conference and had acknowledged their demand for a domicile-based selection process. However, despite prior assurances, the latest recruitment for paramedical posts does not include any mention of domicile requirements, sparking unrest among students.

Key Issues Raised by Paramedical Students

1. Lack of Reservation for Bihar Residents

   • The recent recruitment drive for paramedical staff, including lab technicians and X-ray technicians, has around 10,000 vacancies, but no domicile reservation has been implemented.
   • This allows candidates from other states to apply for positions in Bihar, reducing job opportunities for local youth.

2. Insufficient Job Openings in Government Hospitals

   • According to Bihar Paramedical Association Secretary Surendra Suman, there are lakhs of vacant paramedical posts in government hospitals.
   • However, instead of filling a significant number of vacancies, the state government has released only 10,000 openings, which students believe is inadequate.

3. Government’s Alleged Negligence Towards Bihar’s Unemployed Youth

   • Protesters accused the government of favoring out-of-state candidates, stating that local youth are being deprived of employment opportunities in their own state.
   • They demanded that Bihar’s paramedical recruitment should include a domicile clause, similar to other state government job recruitments.

What Are the Students Demanding?

1. Inclusion of Domicile Clause

   • The students are demanding that only Bihar residents should be eligible for paramedical job vacancies in government hospitals.
   • This would prevent candidates from other states from taking jobs meant for Bihar’s youth.

2. Increase in Vacancies

   • The current 10,000 vacancies are seen as insufficient given the high unemployment rate among paramedical graduates.
   • Students are urging the government to release more job openings to fill the existing workforce shortage in hospitals.

3. Transparent Hiring Process

   • Protesters also demanded fair and transparent hiring with preference for Bihar’s trained paramedical professionals.
   • They want the recruitment process to be streamlined to avoid any delays or irregularities.

Police Action Against Protesters

As the paramedical students’ march approached JP Golambar, the police intervened and halted their protest. Security forces prevented them from reaching the Bihar Assembly, leading to minor clashes between students and law enforcement. Despite the blockade, the protesters continued chanting slogans against the government and insisted that they would not back down until their demands were met.

Government’s Response to the Protest

So far, the Bihar government has not made any official statement regarding whether the domicile clause will be added to the ongoing recruitment process. However, sources indicate that the administration might consider discussing the issue with paramedical representatives and student leaders in the coming weeks.

How Does Bihar’s Paramedical Recruitment Compare to Other States?

• Many Indian states, including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, have domicile-based preferences for government jobs.
• Bihar’s paramedical students argue that similar policies should be implemented to safeguard local employment opportunities.
• Other states have larger recruitment drives, while Bihar’s limited openings continue to frustrate job seekers.

What Happens Next?

The paramedical students have warned that if their demands are not met, they will intensify their protests in the coming days.

• They plan to meet government officials to discuss the issue directly.
• If no action is taken, they may call for state-wide protests or even legal intervention to address their concerns.

The Bihar Paramedical Students’ Protest highlights the ongoing frustration among job-seeking youth in the state. The demand for a domicile clause in recruitment reflects the need for priority to be given to Bihar’s own workforce. As unemployment remains a major issue, it remains to be seen whether the government will address these concerns or continue to face backlash from students.