Assam law to make it must for govt employees to care for dependent parents

GUWAHATI: The BJP-led government in Assam is set to roll out a law from October 2 this year making it mandatory for state government employees to look after their aged and dependent parents and physically challenged siblings who do not have a source of income.

Assam Employees Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring (PRANAM) Bill, 2017 - which makes all these compulsory - was passed by the state assembly last year.

Assam minister for health and finance, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said that the state cabinet has approved the rules of the PRANAM act. “Dependent parents not having any source of income can get upto 10 per cent of the salary of the employee. If there are other physically challenged siblings it can go upto 15 per cent.” Assam has roughly four lakh employees.


Sarma said, “The state government may consider extending the same to state government public sector units and corporations. We have decided to have an appellate authority, which can look after claims and grievances under the act.”

Earlier while presenting the bill Sarma had said it was brought to ensure that no aged and dependent parent/s of the state government employees are compelled to live the last days of their life in old-age homes because of negligence of their wards who are state government employees.