More than 30,000 outsourced employees at government hospitals and six medical colleges across the state have not been paid for months even as Jharkhand leans heavily on them in the fight against the Covid pandemic.

These employees — paramedics, lab technicians, operating theatre attendants, sweepers and security guards — have not been paid anywhere between four months and a year by their agencies.

The monthly salaries of these employees are between Rs 8,000 and Rs 12,000.

Right to Information (RTI) activist Sarwesh Kumar Singh, who had pointed out pay irregularities for such staff in November 2019 when the Raghubar Das government was in power, told The Telegraph on Thursday that nothing had been done.

“The government claims to take proper care of labourers stranded across the country, while the reality is that so far it has failed to take care of outsourced workers doing their duties at hospitals and medical colleges right here to fight Covid-19,” Sarwesh said.“Till November last year, the dues for outsourced staff had piled up to Rs 80 crore. It must have reached Rs 130 crore now.”

One such employee, deputed at RIMS, said: “At this time, it was expected the government would walk the extra mile to motivate outsourced staff but that isn’t the case.”

Contacted, principal health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni said: “Allotment order has been given. Agencies will get paid.”

A health employee claimed payment delays were often due to connivance between health officials and agency owners who pocket the dues if a frustrated worker leaves.

“Pay delays help unscrupulous agencies earn more. If a frustrated worker leaves midway, the agency can pocket his wage when funds are ultimately released. Then, everyone on the gravy train benefits,” he said.