Defence Minister Rajnath approves extension of maternity, child care leaves for women in Armed Force
New Delhi, Nov 5: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal to grant maternity, child care and child adoption leave to women soldiers, sailors and air warriors on par with their officer counterparts.
The defence ministry on Sunday said the decision is in line with Singh's vision of "inclusive participation" of all women in the armed forces, irrespective of their ranks.
It said the measure is going to improve the work conditions for women in the military as it will help them balance their professional and family lives in a better manner.
"Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a proposal for extension of the rules for maternity, child care and child adoption leave for women soldiers, sailors and air warriors in the armed forces at par with their officer counterparts," it said.
"With the issuing of the rules, the grant of such leave to all women in the military, whether one is an officer or any other rank, will be equally applicable," the ministry added.
At present, the women officers get maternity leave of 180 days with full pay for each child, subject to a maximum of two children. Childcare leave of 360 days is granted in total service career (subject to the child being less than 18 years of age) to women officers, according to officials.
Child adoption leave of 180 days is granted after the date of the valid adoption of a child below one year of age, they said.
"The extension of leave rules will go a long way in dealing with women-specific family and social issues relevant to the armed forces," the ministry said in a statement.
"This measure is going to improve the work conditions of women in the military and aid them to balance the spheres of professional and family life in a better manner," it said.
The ministry said in line with the Narendra Modi government's commitment towards utilising "Nari Shakti" (women power), the three services have spearheaded a paradigm shift with the inclusion of women as soldiers, sailors and air warriors.
"With the recruitment of women Agniveers, the armed forces will be empowered with the bravery, dedication and patriotism of women soldiers, sailors and air warriors to defend the land, sea and air frontiers of the country," it said.
"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 2019, a significant milestone was also achieved through recruitment of women in the Indian Army as soldiers in the Corps of Military Police," it added.
Singh has always been of the view that women should be on par with their male counterparts in every field.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
