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| H&ME department denies maternity leave benefit to female employees | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 11: Despite the assurance given by the then minister for health and medical education, the department continues to deny the benefit of maternity leave to the female employees engaged under National Health Mission. "The minister not only assured the employees but also the Legislative Assembly to extend maternity leave benefit to women employees working under National Health Mission", sources said. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, protects the employment of women during the time of her maternity and entitles her full paid absence from work, to take care for her child.
It is pertinent to mention here that in 2016 the act was amended and its service rules i.e providing 26 weeks maternity leave to its employees instead of 12 weeks but astoundingly the state health department made benefited to those employees who are in regular. "If any employee engaged under NHM applies for maternity leave, the officials of health department grant leave without salary", sources said. They further said that Union Labour Minister a day after the International women' day last year appealed to the state governments to play an active role to ensure that all benefits reach women and also said that the amendments were "progressive" in nature and would have "positive impact" on women participation and improve their "work life balance". Wishing anonymity, Female employing working under NHM said that the employees working under the scheme were contractual, but they worked equal to the regular staff than why the state government was discriminating against them. "If private organizations provided maternity leave to their employees than why was government denying us our legitimate due?" a female employee said. |
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