Nagercoil :

In a novel initiative, the Kanyakumari district administration on Thursday inaugurated an exclusive creche for the children of women working in the collectorate and adjacent government offices. The facility, functioning inside the collectorate premises, is equipped with a spacious hall with a variety of play and study materials in addition to toilet, drinking water and pantry facilities. The district administration has also recruited two people to take care of the children. On the inaugural day, 10 children were dropped at the centre by their mothers.

District collector, S Nagarajan said the objective of the creche is that women working in government offices can now do their work peacefully without worrying about the young children who, earlier used to be left behind in their homes in the custody of their relatives. “The facility is open for all state and central government women employees in the vicinity,” Nagarajan said. He said that he gained the inspiration to come out with such initiative after seeing his working mother struggling to take care of the children.

It was also proposed that children need not be regulars at the creche and any women employee in need can drop her kids. There is also a future proposal to expand the facility to cater to bigger children aged till 10 years and women can bring their grownup children if they are working on Saturdays, the collectorate staff said. There is also a plan to establish a small library in the facility for such grownup children, they said. Though Nagarajan said that such facility could exist in other government offices as well, the collectorate staff said that it was a unique initiative and they have not come across the creche facility in other districts.

Meanwhile, the women staff at the collectorate expressed jubilation about the new facility. They said that the number of women working in the government is comparatively higher considering the highest female ratio in the district. Many youngsters have joined the government service recently and it will be a real boon for them. “The maternity leave is sanctioned for six months and later we have to drop our kids with the relatives. The period between six months to three years when we can admit them in play schools is very cumbersome. We are very much thankful to the district collector for considering our plight,” said a woman official from the district administration.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai> Collectorate /by J. Arockiaraj, TNN / November 29th, 2013