Continuing his focus on promoting geriatric care within the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has approved special leave for Assam government employees on January 6 & 7, 2022. The CM on Sunday, in a video announcement on Twitter, urged officials to spend quality time with their families, parents and in-laws during the holidays.
To uphold ancient Indian values, I urge Assam Govt employees to spend quality time with their parents/in-laws on Jan 6 & 7, 2022 designated as spl leave.
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 2, 2022
I request them to rededicate themselves to the cause of building a New Assam & New India with blessings of their parents. pic.twitter.com/hZ2iwbgKoB
Sarma-led BJP Govt. in Assam had passed a decision to allow two-day special leave in order to facilitate employees to take care of their parents. The notification issued for the order read, “The Assam government is pleased to allow state government employees to avail casual leave on January 6 and 7, 2022, suffixing the two holidays, the 8th and 9th of January 2022, being the 2nd Saturday and Sunday, so as to enable them to spend the aforesaid days with their living parents and parents-in-law.”
Speaking to the media on Sunday, the CM reminded the officials that it would be mandatory to flourish photographs showing that they stayed with the parents during the holidays as proof. Those seeking the holidays will have to apply for leave prior. Stretching this one-of-a-kind initiative to onfield-duty police, healthcare officials, and other officials allied to emergency services, Himanta Biswa Sarma added that they will also be able to avail holidays in phases in the next four months.
The CM also said that his government is also planning to sanction special holidays for employees wanting to visit religious and tourist destinations next year. The move is in the view “to uphold ancient Indian values” on family culture wrote Himanta Biswa Sarma while announcing it on Twitter.
Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced 7 days of extra leave for employees to spend time with elderly parents
In August 2021, the Assam government had decided to grant an extra seven days’ leave to its employees once a year but with a strict stipulation that they will spend the time with their elderly parents. The announcement was made by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in his independence speech, wherein he asked people to take the resolve to not send their elderly parents to old-age homes.
The government had then also linked geriatric care to the employees’ pay by enacting the Assam Employees’ Parent Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring Amendment Bill. The Bill made it mandatory for the employees to take care of their parents or face a certain deduction from their pay that would be used for their parents’ welfare.
