New Delhi: The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Saturday issued a notice to the State Bank of India (SBI) seeking withdrawal of the new guidelines under which pregnant women candidates of more than three months duration in case of fresh recruitment. “Temporarily ineligible” and they can resume work in the bank within four months after delivery.
There was no immediate comment from the country’s largest bank SBI on the matter. DCW chief Swati Maliwal tweeted, “It appears that the State Bank of India has issued guidelines for recruitment of pregnant women of more than three months duration and has declared them ‘temporarily ineligible’. It is discriminatory and illegal. We have issued a notice to them demanding that this anti-women rule be withdrawn.”
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State Bank of India seems to have issued guidelines preventing women who are over 3 months pregnant from joining service & have termed them as ‘temporarily unfit’. This is both discriminatory and illegal. We have issued a Notice to them seeking withdrawal of this anti women rule. pic.twitter.com/mUtpoCHCWq
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) January 29, 2022
In the notice, the commission sought a copy of the new guidelines as well as similar rules in force earlier. A report on the action taken in this matter has also been sought.
SBI, in its latest medical fitness guidelines for fresh recruits or promotions, said female candidates who are less than three months pregnant will be considered ‘eligible’. In case the pregnancy exceeds three months as per the fitness standards issued by the Bank on December 31, 2021, the female candidate will be treated as temporarily ineligible and may be allowed to join work within four months after the birth of the child. can. Earlier, up to six months of pregnancy, female candidates were admitted to the bank under various conditions. (agency)