Government hospital OPD services in Punjab are impacted by a statewide employee strike. Employees protest the Punjab government over long-pending demands for regularization and benefits. They seek pension implementation and payment of pending Dearness Allowance installments. The Chief Minister has repeatedly postponed meetings with protesting employee representatives. Employees threaten to boycott the government in upcoming Assembly elections if demands are ignored.

The renewed strike comes less than a month after around 300 contractual employees from Ludhiana’s 100 Aam Aadmi Clinics participated in a statewide strike on July 27

The proposed ‘maha bandh’ comes after the Punjab and Haryana high court, acting on a set of petitions, directed the Punjab government on August 3 to clear the pending DA dues of…