It hasn’t been long since the Odisha government increased the additional casual leave granted to women employees of the state government to 12 days per year. This adjustment made in October 2024 was aimed at providing enhanced support to the women in the workforce, particularly during their menstruation period. Now, the Odisha government has gone a step further and installed sanitary napkin vending and disposal machines in the Lok Seva Bhawan.
This measure is towards ensuring that the working environment for the women in its workforce is hygienic. Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida inaugurated the machine recently and highlighted that the state government is committed to ensuring a healthy, safe and supportive work environment for women.
These machines are installed keeping in mind easy accessibility. While women employees can access the same on the second floor, visitors can also access the machine at the Ladies’ Common Room.
In March 2024, the Odisha government had announced a significant policy change, granting an additional 10 days of casual leave annually to women employees working across various departments. This move had increased their total casual leave entitlement to 25 days from 15 days. Later, in October, the policy had been revised to increase the additional casual leaves to 12, at the rate of one day per month. That means, women employees of the Odisha government are now entitled to 27 days of leave a year.
The government has always acknowledged the domestic responsibilities and challenges faced by women in government service. This latest initiative further builds on Odisha’s legacy of progressive gender policies, having been the first state in India to introduce a 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs during the 1990s.
