Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Sept 5 : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that during the last 8 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a series of governance reforms introduced by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) and other departments under Union Ministry of Personnel like DARPG and Department of Pensions, enabled “ease of working” for women employees and are actually, in a broader sense, huge social reforms aimed at providing women officials an opportunity to perform to the best of their potential with a high level of dignity and self-esteem.
Addressing women officers of Govt of India after releasing a compilation book on major governance reforms related to women employees introduced since 2014, here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said, his Ministry has taken concerted efforts to increase the representation of women in Central Government jobs and to provide them a balance between professional and family life.
The Minister recalled that only three days back, DoPT had taken a historic decision to grant a 60-day special maternity leave for women Central government employees in case of Still Birth or death of an infant within a few days of birth. This was not only a woman-friendly decision,but a humane decision taken with a lot of sensitive precision.
Among other major DoPT reforms / initiatives taken towards women welfare, Dr Jitendra Singh said, steps like grant of 730 days Child Care Leave (CCL), facility of Leave Travel Concession (LTC), while an employee is on CCL, removal of the limit of 22 years in case of disabled child for the purpose of a Government servant availing Child Care Leave and Special Allowance @ Rs.3000/- p.m. to Women employees with Disability has been granted for child care have resulted in better output, besides bringing ease of living for women employees.
The Minister said, in May this year, family pension rules were relaxed for missing Central Government employees and the new rule has done away with seven-year mandatory wait and, in all cases, where a government servant covered by NPS goes missing during service, the benefits of family pension will be immediately paid to the family of the missing Government servant.
Dwelling on other Pension Reforms, Dr Jitendra Singh said, a number of revolutionary reforms including relaxation in the provision of Family Pension for divorced daughters and Divyangs, introduction of Face Recognition Technology through mobile app for ease in submitting Life Certificate by elderly pensioners, Electronic Pension Pay Order, assistance from Postal Department to facilitate pension process etc and steps like extension of Family Pension to differently abled child of a deceased Government employee/Pensioner or giving a major hike in the Family Pension emoluments for Divyang children of a deceased government servant/pensioner are not only pension reforms but these are social reforms having wide socio-economic implications.
Referring to Prime Minister’s 76th Independence Day speech, wherein PM Modi said, “I can see the manifold contribution of ‘Nari Shakti’, my mothers, sisters and daughters, in the next 25 years compared to the contribution in the last 75 years of India’s journey”, Dr Jitendra Singh said, right from his 1st Red Fort address in 2014, Modi has announced several schemes for empowerment of women, be it building of household toilets, Ujjawala, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Mahila E-haat or Working Women Hostels. He said, even STEP (Support to Training and Employment Programme) for Women Scheme aims to provide skills that give employability to women and to provide competencies and skills that enable women to become self-employed/entrepreneurs.
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