Assam state government employees will be able to avail their yearly 'Matri Pitri Vandana' special casual leave of five days in November, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Friday.
In a Facebook Live, Sarma discussed the yearly leave, aimed purely at fostering a healthy society, allowing state government employees to avail extended time off from work to spend time with their parents.
"You may know by now that on November 7 and 8, we have allowed a special leave for Matri Pitri Vandana. The government has allowed a leave on the 7th and 8th. 9th is Chhath Puja. 10th and 11th are Saturday and Sunday. In a way, state government employees will get a five days away from work from November 7th to 11th," he said.
The Assam Chief Minister said, "The aim of Matri Pitri Vandana is that if we plan ahead, we can take our parents and in-laws to temples or other places of worship, or take them out on a trip. Our parents raise us and with their blessings, we do well in life. In our busy lives, at times, we cannot make time for them. The state government took this up for the last three years and it has been a welcome move as we get pictures of our employees spending time with their parents back at their villages of origin."
Meanwhile, Sarma also pursued a similar special leave for employees in the private sector and urged private company owners to allow their employees to take leaves on November 7 and 8.
"I am asked many a time that why this is not applicable for private sector employees. I hope that private company owners can allow such leaves to their employees without pay cuts, then our society will bloom. I urge all private company owners to allow their employees to take leaves on 7th and 8th if possible. I cannot demand that, however, I request them to make this happen," he further said.
It may be noted that every year, the Assam government grants special casual leaves to all state government employees. These leaves are specifically intended for employees to spend quality time with their parents. This special casual leave scheme is derived from the Matri Pitri Vandana Scheme.
