Monday, March 9, 2009

Khalid’s slew of good news, incl 90 days maternity leave for S’gor civil servants...!!!!





By SK English Team

The Pakatan Rakyat-run Selangor state government will grant up to 90 days maternity leave to its women civil servants, while men will be allowed to take up to 14 days paternity leave.

“It a form of welfare and mothers can use the leave, if they want, to get immunisation injections for their babies,” Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim.

He said studies showed most cases of infant mortality occurred in the first 100 or 200 days of a baby’s life and more maternity leave would therefore allow mothers to care better for their newborn.

Previously women were allowed up to 60 days maternity leave, while husbands got only seven days leave to be with their wives and newly-born.

More relief measures for widows and the elderly

Khalid also announced a slew of other good news and relief measures.

Widows would get 30 days of compassionate leave versus the three days of unrecorded leave they are currently accorded.

The Pakatan government would also review ways to extend more benefits to the elderly in the state. Senior citizens make up between 400,000 and 500,000 of the population in Selangor.

Khalid said among the benefits that his government plans to extend to the elderly are greater medical care, insurance, as well as food subsidies.

“We intend to collaborate with insurance companies, and even supermarkets to provide coupons for certain goods, for the elderly.” he said

State makes record profit from sand mining

Khalid also announced that state-owned Kumpulan Semesta, which was tasked to take over all sand mining in Selangor, had made RM50 million profit in just six months.

This was a huge improvement compared to the annual profit of just RM17 million reaped during the BN government’s administration, when sand mining was distributed to private contractors.

“The profits were accumulated in just six months and will be channelled to the various funds, established to aid the people of Selangor,” Khalid said.

“I hope all parties, especially those who have lost power in Selangor, are prepared to understand that Pakatan Rakyat has only been in power for one year.”

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