Dear Editor,
The government of Arunachal Pradesh recently announced that maternity leave of 180 days along with child care leave for all contractual employees in Arunachal have been duly approved and accorded by Chief Minister Pema Khandu on 3 June, 2019.
In this regard, I on behalf of all the contractual employees extend our heartiest thankfulness to the chief minister for his noble step towards contractual employees of the state government, as the demand for maternity leave and other forms of leave has gone through a long struggle with constant legal battles in the Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court, vide WP(C) No 780 (AP), 2017, and WP(C) No 510 (AP), 2018, of which latter is still pending before the court for disposal.
Furthermore, we hope that the chief minister will also settle the issue of enhancement of salary in the line of equal basic pay for equal work as decided by the apex court and other high courts in the state of Punjab & Ors v Jagjit Singh & Ors, as well as the judgment of this court in the cases of Ijum Ngomdir & Ors v State of Arunachal Pradesh & Ors, and Doli Gogoi v State of Assam & Ors, which is also bending before the high court, vide WP(C) No 511 of 2018.
Sincerely,
Champa Siga,
TGT (ISSE/SSA)