Shiv Sena MP calls SBI's pregnancy guideline discriminatory, writes to Sitharaman

In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the Shiv Sena party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the guidelines debilitated the progress made to empower women.

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Saturday described State Bank of India guidelines which lay down that three-month pregnant candidates will be considered temporarily unfit and will be allowed to join work four months after delivery as discriminatory and demanded that they be revoked.

In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the party's spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the guidelines debilitated the progress made to empower women.

She said the present guidelines, which allow the appointment of candidates up to six months' pregnant provided she furnishes a certificate from a special gynecologist, was brought forward in 2009.

"The new proposed guideline delays the process of recruitment and promotion for women. This comes at a time when the state of India's female workforce has worsened. Such regressive and sexist guidelines will exacerbate the exclusion of women as well as the inequality faced by them," Chaturvedi said.

As per the leading bank's guidelines for recruitment, candidates whose pregnancy is three months or more will be considered temporarily unfit and will be allowed to join within four months after delivery of the child.

She said Sitharaman should direct SBI to recall the guidelines and also ensure such detrimental policies are not brought forward.

PTI