SBI lifts bar on posting for expectant mothers

The State Bank of India has withdrawn a 30-year-old norm, placing certain restrictions on immediate posting to pregnant women in the bank.

SBI sources in Thiruvananthapuram said a recent circular from the bank's headquarters stated that pregnancy need not be considered a bar for giving immediate postings to women candidates, who had passed the written test and interviews.

It said the norms formulated long back on the premise that because of reasons, pregnancy normally results in indifferent health and is a hindrance in discharge of one's duties.

In view of the advancement in medical sciences and changed lifestyles, the medical community felt that women are able to take up work even during pregnancy. So women candidates should be permitted to join the bank in their first two trimesters (upto first six months of pregnancy), the revised norm said.

Women and youth outfits in Kerala, especially pro-left forums, had recently organised protests against the earlier norm, dubbing it as "grossly discriminatory against women."

Kerala Chief Minister V S Acuhthanandan had also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking his intervention for withdrawal of the "discrimnatory norm."

The State Bank Staff Union welcomed the decision. "It has always been our position that it went against gender justice and it is good that the management has withdrawn it at last", K Raja Kurup, SBSU general secretary, Kerala circle, told PTI.

"After five years, the male members got elected and they undo what the fair sex have planned for the village and therefore it was felt that the reservation period be raised from five to 10 years to ensure continuty in the works," he said.

Das also informed that a meeting will be held on October 26-27 with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to decide which recommendations among them can be implemented immediately and for which policy changes, budgetary provisions and future planning are required.

The goup also recommended to divide the present Woman and Child Development Department into Women Empowerment Department and Child Development Department to make it more effective.

It also recommended to take the services of religious heads and NGOs to check the spread of social evils and ill-traditions and to declare villages as Women Powered Village by fixing parameters like education and health index.

For providing educational opportunities to girls, the group has recommeded to start finishing schools and for empowering women self-help groups, it has advised to purchase the goods produced by them on priority.

The group also recommended to include the name of women on ration cards prominently, four per cent relaxation in stamp duty on property transfer in the name of women till 2011 as was the case in Centre, providing identity cards to domestic women workers.

The groups also recommended to raise the age limit for women specially divorcee and widow in the government jobs, provide pressure cooker and LPG stove under 'Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojna' among others.

It has also recommended for effective implementation of laws related to women's welfare and referring cases registered under PNDT Act to Fast Track Courts.

Organising health camps on Women's Day, raising of gender budget by 10 per cent, expenditure incurred on women empowerment should be uploaded on websites and raise awareness about the State's Women's Policy upto village level through Gram Sabha and ensuring their participation at state and district level in programmes related to women's policy among others are the other recommendations of the group.