Now Reading: Over 31 lakh nurses still outside national digital registry
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Over 31 lakh nurses still outside national digital registry
Government data tabled in the Lok Sabha shows only 14.24 lakh of India's 46.02 lakh registered nursing personnel are enrolled on the Nurses Registration and Tracking System (NRTS), launched over seven years…
The Story in Brief
Government data tabled in the Lok Sabha shows only 14.24 lakh of India's 46.02 lakh registered nursing personnel are enrolled on the Nurses Registration and Tracking System (NRTS), launched over seven years ago. The remaining 31.78 lakh nurses remain outside the national digital platform, causing delays in No Objection Certificates for job changes and credential verification for overseas employment.
Implementation varies sharply by state. Bihar has enrolled 99% of its nurses, Jharkhand 90%, and Odisha 80%. But Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh have enrolled less than 20% each. The Indian Nursing Council says primary registration is legally the responsibility of state councils. A public interest litigation in the Delhi High Court alleges that middlemen exploit nurses due to the fragmented system.
The Indian Opinion
The incomplete rollout is often blamed on state councils dragging their feet, but the central Indian Nursing Council has also failed to enforce compliance for seven years. Southern states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with large nursing workforces, lag far behind Bihar and Odisha. This cannot be dismissed as mere federal friction. The true test will come when the Delhi High Court hears the case and orders a concrete timeline for universal enrolment. Until then, nurses will keep paying middlemen for documents they should get online.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, thehindu.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
