Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 29: The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI), decided on Saturday to halt its circular on recruiting pregnant women after receiving widespread criticism.
SBI recently updated its “Fitness Standards for Recruitment in the Bank,” which included guidelines for pregnant women. A woman candidate who is more than three months pregnant will be regarded “temporarily unfit” under the new guidelines and will be able to join the bank four months following birth.
Various groups, including labour unions and the Delhi Commission for Women, have criticised the action.
In light of public sentiments, SBI has decided to put the updated instructions on recruiting pregnant women candidates on hold and stick to the existing guidelines, according to a statement from the bank.
The bank stated in its most recent medical fitness rules for new recruits or promotees that a candidate would be judged fit if the pregnancy was less than three months.
“However, if pregnancy is of more than 3 months, she will be considered temporarily unfit and she may be allowed to join within 4 months after delivery of child,” as per the medical fitness and ophthalmological standards for new recruits and promotees dated December 31, 2021.
The amended recommendations, according to SBI, were created to provide clarification on several health factors where instructions were unclear or outdated.
