New Delhi, 5 Nov: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has extended nod to a move to provide women soldiers, sailors, and air warriors the same maternity, child care, and child adoption leave as their officer counterparts.
According to the defense ministry, the move is in keeping with Singh’s aim of “inclusive participation” of all women in the armed services, regardless of rank.
According to the statement, the policy would enhance working conditions for women in the military by allowing them to better combine their professional and familial life.
According to the statement, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has accepted a proposal to extend the provisions for maternity, child care, and child adoption leave for female soldiers, sailors, and air warriors in the armed services to the same level as their officer counterparts.
With the publication of the guidelines, all women in the military; whether officers or lower ranks will be permitted to take such leave, according to the ministry. Women officers now receive 180 days of maternity leave with full pay for each child, up to a maximum of two children. According to authorities, women officers are entitled to 360 days of childcare leave over their whole military tenure (provided the kid is under the age of 18).
They stated that a child adoption leave of 180 days is allowed following the date of the legitimate adoption of a kid under the age of one year.
The ministry stated in a statement that the expansion of leave regulations will go a long way toward dealing with women-specific family and social concerns pertinent to the armed services. According to the statement, this step would enhance the working circumstances of women in the military and help them better manage their professional and personal lives.
According to the ministry, the three services have pioneered a paradigm change with the admission of women as soldiers, sailors, and air warriors, in keeping with the Narendra Modi government’s aim to use “Nari Shakti” (women power).
The recruitment of female Agniveers will provide the armed services with the bravery, commitment, and patriotism of female soldiers, sailors, and air warriors to protect the country’s land, sea, and air borders, according to the statement.
“From being operationally deployed in Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, to being posted on warships as well as dominating the skies, Indian women are now breaking barriers in almost every field in the armed forces,” the ministry said in a statement.
A notable milestone was also reached in 2019 with the enlistment of women into the Indian Army as soldiers in the Corps of Military Police, according to the statement.
Singh has always believed that women should be treated equally with men in all fields.
