Vijayawada: The AP JAC Amaravati women’s wing celebrated its second anniversary with a grand event at Revenue Bhavan here on Sunday. The celebration, led by State women’s wing chairperson Pare Lakshmi and general secretary Ponnuru Vijayalakshmi, was attended by a large number of women leaders and government employees. Similar celebrations were also held in all 26 districts across the State.
Pare Lakshmi requested the State government to grant two years of childcare leave (CCL) to female government employees, aligning with the policy for Central Government employees. She noted that the state currently offers only six months of CCL. She also praised the recent government order issued by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, which allows female employees to avail maternity leave even if they have more than two children. Ponnuru Vijayalakshmi highlighted that a previous government order that removed the age limit to avail CCL has not been implemented due to a lack of orders from the Finance department. She urged the government to take immediate action to enforce this order.
The leaders also called for the removal of the condition that limits CCL to only 10 spells. They argued that this limit is too restrictive and that female employees should have the flexibility to take leave for a day or two as needed without quickly exhausting their spells.
AP JAC Amaravati State chairman Bopparaju Venkateswarlu and Secretary General Palisetti Damodar Rao addressed the financial hardships faced by employees. They demanded that the government immediately announce the Interim Relief (IR) as promised, release the four pending dearness allowances (DAs), and pay all outstanding dues. They requested that the government provide a detailed statement of all arrears on each employee’s pay slip.
Associate chairperson of State women’s committee Saikam Sivakumari Reddy, treasurer Dr VS Sailakshmi, State Secretary of retired employees Narayana Rao, general secretary of the Government Drivers’ Association (NTR District) DVR, State president of the Grama Ward Sachivalayam Employees’ Welfare Association Velpula Arlaiah, and other state and district leaders also participated.
