Govt grants petticoats to female canteen employees
THERE is an elaborate procedure in providing uniforms to employees working in the canteens of the Government Departments.
As per a 2002 Office Memorandum, female canteen employees are entitled to 2 sets of Sarees (Mem Sahib Light Blue Terene Cotton), Blouse and Fall for Sarees OR Salwar Kameez (Light Blue Terene Cotton), per year.
Now this does not include petticoats. Totally against the principles of equality - other Government lady employees like Peons, Sweepers, Staff Car Drivers, Despatch Riders etc. are entitled to petticoats. And please note that ‘fall' is provided for the sari, but no provision for the petticoat under. How unjust!
The massive Government machinery has moved and this lapse is rectified. Now, female canteen employees of the Government are assured of a respectable inner wear.
An Office Memorandum issued recently states:
"The matter regarding issue of uniforms to entitled female canteen employees has been reviewed and it has been decided to authorise issue of petticoat to entitled female canteen employees who wear saree and Dupatta to those who wear Salwar Kameez in addition to already authorized articles of uniform."
The uniforms are to be got stitched by the Canteen Managing Committees directly. Unstitched cloth or cash will not be given to the employees under any circumstances. The charge allowed for stitching a petticoat is Rs.30/- and for a blouse it is Rs. 45/-.In this age of ready-mades, should stitching be made mandatory?
This has not come that easily; both the Home Ministry and the Finance Ministry have agreed to this petticoat project. Just imagine the number of papers, files, note sheets and the large army of officers who must have worked on this project. And still there is ambiguity - they have not specified the colour of the petticoat and whether the petticoats will be supplied now for the saris already supplied or will the petticoats be supplied only along with the next batch of saris. Maybe other undergarments will also follow.
A petticoat costs about Rs. 120/- and this female employee of the canteen gets a salary of about Rs. 20,000/-; she can certainly afford to buy a petticoat for her sari instead of the whole Government machinery moving in to buy cloth and getting a petticoat stitched for her. This is how Government is busy. Just imagine the cost of sending this circular to all the Central Government offices in India - with half the cost, perhaps you can gift her a silk sari - with a satin petticoat!
And you thought only tax notifications are complicated!