*SHANTARAM NAIK, MP* *Chairman,*
*Standing Committee of the Ministry of Personnel,* *Public Grievances, Pension, Law and Justice 602, Brahmaputra, Dr.B.D.Marg,* *New Delhi-1100 01* *Tel: 011-23766505 * *9868181344/09422439990* ** *30th August, 2013* ** *KEY POINTS MADE BY SHRI SHANTARAM NAIK M P AND CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON PERSONNEL PUBLIC GRIEVANCES, LAW AND JUSTICE AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE HELD IN PARLIAMENT HOUSE ON 30th AUGUST 2013* * * *GIVE SECURITY TO WOMEN EMPLOYEES TRAVELLING BEYOND OFFICE HOURS- Shantaram Naik* * * Standing Committee of Parliament on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice has recommended that all organisations should ensure proper transport facilities to its employees, particularly the women, while commuting to and from place of work beyond office hours, *to ensure their safety.* Briefing the media in Parliament House on friday, Mr Shantaram Naik M P and Chairman of the Committee who laid 62nd Report of the Committee in the Rajya Sabha on friday said while expressing concern about the welfare of single women who have been recruited in Government jobs, Members of the Committee were of the view that when such women are given postings, it should be mandatorily ensured that they are placed at stations *closest to their hometown*/place of their choice. *The Committee, accordingly, desires that this pertinent factor should be kept in mind by the organisations/Departments while giving postings, Mr. Naik said* Mr. Naik said that Committee is also of the view that Protection Officers appointed under legislations dealing with *women commissions should be independent and they should be lady officers* Mr. Naik said with the change in the outlook of the society and the increasing importance given to education of girls and women, by the society and the Government, *the presence of women in the workforce in India has considerably increased. * The increasing strength of the women employees has contributed to a positive change in the work environment and has gradually helped in the change of traditional deep-seated prejudices/stereo types. The technological changes adopted in the work environment has also increased the participation of women workforce enabling them to contribute to the building of the nation, Mr. Naik said *Incidentally, Mr Naik said that in Government percentage of women employees is 10.4 p.c., in Railways it is 6.4, in defence civilian workforce is 10.79 p.c. only in banking and financial institutions it is around 30 pc* * * The role of Indian women in the job sector is somewhat unique in that while they perform their professional responsibilities, they equally take care of *their domestic roles also, said Mr. Naik.* The Government, as an ideal employer, has made several provisions to enable women employees to work in a very congenial atmosphere, Mr. Naik added. The Committee feels that *merely transferring the delinquent employee to a different branch/station is not an adequate redressal and that strict disciplinary action* should be taken in case the accused if found guilty. The punishment has to be a deterrent for prospective offenders, he said. The Committee states that the *Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2013 was passed by Parliament on 26th February, 2013. Th*e Committee welcomes the legislation and recommends that the Government should take urgent steps to implement the legislation in letter and spirit. The Committee understands that instructions of the government *regarding posting of husband wife in o*ne place are not adhered to and hence there is a need to give statutory backing to these instructions. The Committee impress upon the Government to ensure that grant of maternity *leave of 180 days be uniform in all the Government Departments and the organisations/bodies under its control.* Keeping in view the noble objective behind the policy of granting CCL with pay, the Committee desires that the Ministry should take account of the inconsistency in the policy followed by various organisations and that the benefit of the decision to grant *CCL of 730 day*s with pay, should be granted, to the women employees in all sectors, across the board, Mr Naik said. The Committee took note of the steps taken by some organisations, that, in the *event of a woman employee submitting her application for resignation, *an informal exit interaction is facilitated to ascertain the reason for the resignation and to counsel the employee, before such application is processed. The Committee suggests that such an approach need to be follow*ed by each *organisation. The Government should issue relevant instructions in this regard, the Committee has recomended. The Committee is constrained to note that the presence of women employees in Government organizations is far from satisfactory. In none of the sectors, their percentage is above 35%, but in fact, much low. It is disheartening to observe that it is significantly low, except for the Banks and financial institutions where it is around 28 - 35%, that too not in all of the institutions. It is miserably low in certain sectors, particularly those having units in semi-urban/rural areas and the sectors that entail physical labour and have hazardous working environment. The Committee strongly feels that measures to handle such a situation can be evolved at ground level only so that women workers feel motivated to be part of those organizations too. Caption of the photograph: Shri Shantaram Naik, M.P and Chairman of Standing Committee of Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice addressing a press conference in Parliament on Friday. Also seen in the photograph are Shri Alok Chatterjee, Jt. Secretary, Shri K.P Singh, Director, Shri Ashok Kumar Sahoo, Jt. Director.