Female Govt. Employees of Sikkim to get Childcare Attendants

GANGTOK: The Chief Minister of Sikkim has announced a project that is being hailed as a landmark in the sector of healthcare and family welfare in the country. Prem Singh Tamang has announced that the female government employees in his state will receive special childcare attendants at their homes to take care of newborns on Friday.

Prem Singh Tamang was addressing a gathering a the Saramsa Garden near Gangtok on Friday when he announced this welfare scheme. He mentioned that the state government will recruit, train and deploy women of age 40 or above under a special scheme. These ladies will be taking care of the newborn children of government employees for a year with the cost being borne by the state government.

"The low fertility rate among the local indigenous population is a matter of serious concern in Sikkim…We must do everything in our hands to reverse the process," the CM said.

The CM mentioned that his government understands the concerns of the women employees related to childcare and has taken this initiative to help them. He mentioned that this project will help them to fulfil the dream of motherhood while handling the duties of their offices without any extra load.

Prem Sing Tamang also mentioned that these childcare attendants will receive a monthly remuneration of Rs 10000 for their services. This new proposal comes a week after the announcement of an incentive for women belonging to the indigenous communities of the state if they give birth to more children. He cited the low fertility rate noticed among these communities.

The female government employees of Sikkim will be given one increment at the birth of the second child, while two will be given at the time of birth of the third. They will also be entitled to a total of 365 days of maternity leave and their husbands will be able to avail of 30 days of paternity leave. Women will also receive a grant of Rs 3 lakh if they want to give birth by IVF.

Also Read: Sikkim: Temporary Employees Under State Government To Get 365 Days Maternity Leave

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