New Delhi. In an address on Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh said that central government employees are permitted to take a full month of leave which can be utilized for taking care of old age parents.Singh was responding to a query in which a government employee was seeking if there exists any provision for taking leave for looking after aged parents. “Under the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972, 30 days of earned leave, 20 days of half pay leave, eight days of casual leave and two days of restricted leave are provided,” was Singh’s answer in writing.In addition to that, central government employees are also entitled to other leaves which can be taken for any purpose. This also includes a maximum of 30 days leave for looking after old age parents.India is developing small modular reactorsIn addition to that, Jitendra Singh also notified that India is working on developing three different small modular reactors (SMRs). These include one which will be producing hydrogen which shall largely take the form of captive plants for energy intensive industries.As Singh has mentioned in his written response in Rajya Sabha, the Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR) 200 MWe, 55 MWe SMR, and 5 MWe High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor are SMRs designed for hydrogen production and are being developed and designed domestically. The demonstration reactors are expected to be completed within 60 to 72 months of receiving the necessary approvals. The BSMR and SMR main units are to be located in collaboration with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) at the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) sites. Singh has shared that based on projected calculations and in accordance with the 220 MWe plant, the main unit cost for 200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) would be approximately 5,750 crores.Reduction in the timeline for resolving public grievances at the government levelDue to different measures taken by the Centre, the timeline for resolving public grievances has been reduced from 28 days in 2019 to 16 days in 2023. As reported by the Union Minister, the Governemnt has implemented a 10 step system for the Central Public Grievance Redressal and Monitoring System which was issued in April 2022, in order to streamline the effectiveness and accessibility of redressal for the public grievances. With the system, the public is able to lodge their grievances against government departments through web portals. As Jitendra Singh has mentioned, the processes of filling and creating the positions is a continuous process which is dependent on the needs and demands of different central government departments. As of March 1, 2021, the central government ministries held a sanctioned post of 40,35,203. Increase in employment to 64.33 crore from 47.5 crore over a six year spanShobha Karandlaje, a Union Minister, has quoted RBI statistics in the Rajya Sabha claiming that the employment rate in the country is projected to reach 64.33 crores by 2023-24 from 47.5 crores in 2017-18.From the worker population ratio of 46.8 percent during the earlier period, it has increased to 58.2 percent, while the unemployment ratio has decreased from six percent to 3.2 percent. The ministry also reported the decline of the youth unemployment ratio from 17.8 percent to 10.2 percent, which is already lower than the estimated global youth unemployment rate of 13.3 percent according to ILO’s World Employment and Social Outlook 2024.
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