GUWAHATI: Continuing with its focus on geriatric care, the Assam government has decided to grant an extra seven days’ leave to its employees once a year but on the strict condition that they will spend the time with their elderly parents.
Making the announcement in his Independence Day speech on Sunday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the employees could avail the leave at any given time.
“We have to take a resolve that we won’t keep our elderly parents in an old age home. In spiritual India, nothing is more disturbing and shameful than to see elderly parents in an old age home…
“I understand that we need to work hard to run the family but I want to ask if the state government employees can spend seven days’ time with their aged parents. The government will grant the leave,” Sarma said.
He appealed to people to resolve that they would not send their elderly parents to old-age homes.
Speaking in a similar vein, he appealed to traders to take seven days’ break from business and take their elderly parents on a pilgrimage. In this regard, he made mention of Shravan Kumar, the mythological character who was known for filial piety.
Last week, the government linked geriatric care to the employees’ pay by passing the Assam Employees’ Parent Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring Amendment Bill.
Once it becomes a law, it will make 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.
In his speech, Sarma appealed to people to plant 75 saplings in every school and office – both public and private – to make Assam green, abjure the use of single-use plastic, avoid the consumption of gutka to prevent cancer and maintain cleanliness, not to marry off daughters before they attain the age of 21 years, take a resolve to work extra one hour in government offices to help Assam become one of the top five states etc.
Meanwhile, the flag of banned insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam or ULFA was found hoisted at some places of the state. The outfit had on Saturday extended its unilateral ceasefire by three months.
Sarma on Sunday appealed to ULFA military chief Paresh Baruah to join the mainstream. Further, he reiterated his government’s commitment to go the extra mile in liberating the state from the scourge of human trafficking, drugs and cattle smuggling.