Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 23: In a significant decision, the Government has issued a notification allowing child care leave for its women employees.
As per the new provision, a woman employee can avail a maximum period of 730 days of child care leave during her entire service for taking care of her two eldest children. The leave can be taken to look after the children’s education, illness and other similar requirements.
After approval by the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the Finance Department issued the notification incorporating the child care leave in the J&K Civil Services (Leave) Rules. This is seen as a major welfare measure for a large number of Government women employees.
During the period of child care leave, a woman employee shall be paid leave salary equal to pay drawn immediately before proceeding on leave and the child care leave can be combined with any other kind of leave. However, the leave shall not be granted for more than three spells in a calendar year. Though child care leave can be claimed only after completion of probation period by the employee, yet as a humanitarian gesture, some minimum child care leave can be allowed to a probationer in certain extreme circumstances.
It may be recalled that the present Government in its first budget announced that the child care leave shall be introduced in the State Leave Rules so that the difficulties faced by working women in rearing of their children is resolved and women employees get this benefit at par with Central Government employees. The move was hailed by many sections of employees particularly women.
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