Agartala, 29th July 2026 : Four Left-affiliated student and youth organisations—SFI, TSU, DYFI and TYF—on Wednesday submitted a deputation to the Director of Health Services, demanding the cancellation of the recruitment process for 126 contractual Community Health Officer (CHO) posts under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and a thorough investigation into allegations of question paper leakage.
Addressing the media, DYFI State Secretary Nabarun Deb said the organisations had initially sought an appointment with the state’s Health Secretary. However, as the Health Secretary was occupied with official meetings, including engagements with the Chief Minister, the memorandum was submitted to the Director of Health Services with a request to forward it to the Chief Minister, who also holds the Health portfolio, the Health Secretary and the NRHM Director.
Deb alleged that the recruitment process had come under a cloud after unemployed candidates claimed that the examination question paper had been leaked before the test. He said the candidates had presented evidence to support their allegations and that the published results had further raised doubts over the fairness of the selection process.
He also questioned the role of SOFED in conducting recruitment examinations and interviews for government departments. According to Deb, allegations of irregularities involving SOFED have surfaced repeatedly over the past several years, eroding public confidence in the organisation. He demanded that all ongoing and future recruitment processes conducted through SOFED be stopped and instead be carried out directly by the concerned government departments or through the Joint Recruitment Board of Tripura (JRBT).
The Left organisations demanded the cancellation of the entire CHO recruitment process, including interviews and declared results, followed by fresh examinations after an impartial probe into the alleged paper leak.
Apart from the recruitment issue, the deputation also highlighted the acute shortage of doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in government hospitals and primary health centres across the state. Deb alleged that patients were facing immense hardship due to inadequate staffing and lack of basic medical supplies, forcing many to purchase essential items such as syringes from the market.
The organisations urged the state government to take immediate measures to strengthen the healthcare system and address the shortages in hospitals across Tripura. They appealed to the Health Department to act swiftly on their demands in the interest of unemployed youth and the state’s public healthcare system.
