The government wants to know the detailed menstrual history and other intimate details about its top lady officers like when was the last menstruation and when was your last pregnancy? And women officers are up in arms against such intrusion into highly private matters. The Personnel ministry has washed its hands off stating that these questions were included at the behest of the Health Ministry. It seems the matter is before the Prime Minister and most probably the controversial questions will be deleted from the form.

But it has created quite a controversy. Every news agency in the world worth its salt is carrying the story today. From BBC to ABC, from London to Dubai, from Canada to Germany, it's news that India is asking such gender specific questions to its bureaucrats. The world press is aghast that such a thing can happen in INDIA. And some of the bureaucrats have spoken out.

The BBC reported that Maharashtra's joint secretary for general administration, Seema Vyas told them,

"Menstrual cycles are a natural phenomenon, they are not an aberration. One does not object to questions related to fitness levels - they are important as they can affect work. "But there is no need for these details as this does not have any bearing on our work,"

And SharwariGokhale, environment secretary in Maharashtra said,

I am completely shocked!." I have absolutely no words to describe how I feel and I have no intention of telling them anything about my personal life."

A Health Ministry official where this menstrual cycle originated, told us,

The response of officers against the questionnaire is a reflection of the level of maturity. The Officers need to appreciate the fact that the questions relating to LMP, menstrual problems are health issues. Perhaps as a society we are still not very comfortable with our sexuality. I think the civil services will take a very long time to become gender neutral!!!

Why does the Government need the information?

Now what is the government going to do with this information? Are they going to help the women officers in their PMT - Post (pre) Menstrual Trauma? Will it help if a boss knows that at a particular time his lady subordinate is having her periods. Will he draft her for duties based on her menstrual cycle? Some extremely orthodox men would not like to meet a woman during her periods. Will such a boss keep track of the menstrual history of his lady employees and avoid meeting them during the curse? Will it amount to sexual harassment at the work place if a boss tells his lady subordinate that he knows she is menstruating and so needs a special consideration?

And why should a woman officer maintain a track record of her menstruation history? What if she has irregular periods and don't maintain a record of it? Will she be punished under the Conduct Rules? And what do you do if a lady officer does not want to reveal her pregnancy? Is it mandatory that she should inform the government if she wants to go for an abortion?

Obviously the Health Ministry is not a peeping tom. They must have suggested this information for purely health reasons. And for doctors these are casual regular data but this data can be embarrassing or useful information with people outside the Health fraternity.

The other day a senior Revenue officer told me the difference between data and information. 362436 is data but 36-24-36 is information.

DDT spoke to a few lady officers and they were all aghast that such information is being asked for. "Even my husband or Mother in law does not know this information about me", said a rather upset lady officer. "Next they will ask me how often I press my breasts to be sure I have no breast cancer", she fumed. "That", I said is the "The mammaries of the welfare state (Unknown Binding)" And this is a novel written by an IAS officer, UpamanyuChatterjee. Remember his August, an IAS officer - overeducated, bored, plagued with doubts, and incapable of action.

You look beautiful in this sari - Sexual harassment?

Sometime back a lady Additional Commissioner in the Central Excise department sought my opinion on a touchy issue. A lady clerk complained to her about sexual harassment by her Superintendent. The Superintendent had told the girl, "you look beautiful in this sari". The Additional Commissioner asked me whether it amounted to sexual harassment and I told her indeed it did. The Additional Commissioner asked me, "was it not an innocent casual remark?", I said, "No, now he would say the girl looks beautiful in that sari and if she keeps quite, later he would say she looks much better without that sari. And if she accepted the compliment about the sari, she can't complain bout the lack of it!"

And now the government wants to know officially when the lady had her last periods!

See the Rules in our What's New Section.