Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Mar 8: Union Ministry of Personnel has,in the last two-and-a-half years, taken a series of decisions to make the working environment for women officials more friendly and conducive.
Disclosing this while addressing a programme on International Women’s’ Day organized by the Ministry, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh highlighted DoPT’s (Department of Personnel & Training) pathbreaking initiatives for working women, which had earned all-round appreciation for the Modi government.
Referring to some of these decisions, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the rules relating to “sexual harassment” of women officials had been made more streamlined, better defined and wide based. This had instilled tremendous confidence and self-esteem among the women employees, he added.
In another revolutionary decision, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the maternity leave entitled to a working woman in Government of India had been increased up to six months, which is virtually the double of the period for which it is available earlier. This single step would go a long way in improving the well being of both the mother and child without adversely affecting the service record of the woman employee, he said.
On a sensitive note, Dr Jitendra Singh said, DoPT had brought in suitable amends in the transfer policy for officers in All India Services as a result of which now, a parent including a working woman who had a specially-abled child, would be exempted from certain bindings of transfer, so that the place of posting is compatible with the special treatment or aid required by the child.
In a highly imaginative move, Dr Jitendra Singh said, DoPT through its GKK (Grih Kalyan Kendra) wing, has started process of setting up crèches so that young working women can enroll their infant children there and attend to their duties without distraction. So far, he informed, 13 such crèches have already started working, out of which 11 are in Delhi and one each in Faridabad and Jaipur.
The morning and evening Yoga sessions begun by DoPT in the year 2015, Dr Jitendra Singh said, have become widely popular among the women officials.
Dwelling on other aspects of the current scenario in 2017, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the most notable feature of change is that 21st century India has witnessed an all-round emergence of first-generation women achievers, unlike in the past when most of the women achievers owed their success, to a lesser or greater extent, to their family lineage, whether it was parentage or matrimony.
Renowned Women Mountaineer and Padma Award winner Santosh Yadav was special guest on the occasion and narrated her personal anecdotes of perseverance and hard work to become a woman achiever in her own right.
On the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh also presented awards of excellence to some of the distinguished officials in the DoPT.
Union Secretary C. Viswanath, Addl. Secretary Usha Sharma and other senior officers of Ministry of Personnel were also present on the occasion.
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