Puducherry women employees to get 2 hour-off for ‘pooja’ at home

PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry government has granted its women employees two hours special permission from 8. 45am to 10. 45am on three Fridays a month to perform poojas at their homes.

However, this will not be applicable to women employees at hospitals, police stations, educational institutions and other departments that extend essential services to the public.

A release from the secretariat of lieutenant governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said the facility can be accorded on a rotational basis in offices where only women employees are posted.
The government’s move drew flak from the opposition DMK.

‘Would weaken position of women’

The DMK said it would oppose the attempt to impose RSS ideology on Puducherry people. Leader of the opposition R Shiva said the move would weaken the position of women as it encouraged them to devote themselves to domestic chores and poojas.

He said it was regrettable that the government, instead of evolving schemes to empower women, has come out with such a move.