New Delhi, September 5: The Central Secretariat Service (CSS) Forum has launched a new mutual assistance initiative aimed at providing financial support to the families of deceased CSS officers, with Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh calling for greater sensitivity towards employees and their families in government service systems.
The initiative, named CSS Shield, seeks to create a structured mechanism through which members of the service community can collectively contribute towards the welfare of families facing the sudden loss of a government employee.Speaking at the launch programme, Dr Jitendra Singh said collective efforts of colleagues could help establish a stronger culture of standing by bereaved families during difficult circumstances.
He emphasised that the success of such an initiative would depend largely on the willingness of members to participate and contribute.Under the initiative, the forum plans to provide at least Rs 15 lakh in financial assistance to the family of a deceased CSS officer.
The assistance is expected to increase over time as participation in the initiative expands.Dr Jitendra Singh also suggested that the scope of the programme could eventually include scholarships for children of deceased officers, allowing the support to continue beyond the immediate period following a family member’s death.
During the event, financial assistance was extended to the families of two deceased officers, Mohan Chandra Bhatt and Rajendra Chandra.
Their contributions to government service were also recalled during the programme.According to the CSS Forum, its members had been extending voluntary financial assistance to bereaved families even before the formal launch of CSS Shield.
Since 2020, CSS officers have collectively contributed around Rs 1.30 crore to support the families of approximately 65 to 70 deceased officers, it said.
The forum said the formalisation of the initiative is intended to make such assistance more organised, consistent and dependable. It expects wider participation among the nearly 13,000 members of the Central Secretariat Service to strengthen the support mechanism.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the initiative was consistent with broader efforts to make government service provisions more responsive to the changing needs of employees and their families.
He noted that service-related rules have been reviewed and modified in recent years and said further changes could be considered wherever required.
The programme also featured tributes to Bhatt and Chandra, with colleagues remembering their contributions during their years of government service.
The launch of CSS Shield reinforced the forum’s commitment to supporting its members and their families and promoting a spirit of collective responsibility within the service community.
