womens health as a means to discriminate

Priyanka Kakodkar
Thursday, April 12, 2007 (Mumbai)
The corridors of power in Maharashtra have been shaken up by new rules for women bureaucrats.

The rules, which are meant for the All India Services include a mandatory health check up, which is part of the performance evaluation.

However, as part of the health check-up, the new questions that are specific to women officers have sparked a controversy.

The new rules drafted by the Union Personnel Ministry demand that women bureaucrats detail their menstrual history, the date of their last menstrual period and their last delivery in their annual performance evaluation.

They also ask whether the their mammographic and gynaecological tests were normal.

There are nearly 40 women IAS officers in Maharashtra who now plan to send a protest letter to the Centre.

''I think there's absolutely no connection between women's health and performance. And why are men not being asked these questions,'' said I A Kundan, Fee Monitoring Committee.

''I don't think this should be used as a parameter to assess a woman's health and for which she could be penalised,'' said Leena Mehendale, Secretary, Animal Husbandry.

These rules will apply not only to women IAS officers but also to those in the police and forest service, and though the protest may be starting in Maharashtra, it is likely to spread to other states.