Sikkim government introduces three-year sabbatical leave for its employees

Sikkim government has introduced a sabbatical leave scheme for regular government employees in a bid to allow them to pursue their desired goals without losing jobs. 

As per an official notification dated August 14, the state government employees will provide multiple opportunities, which otherwise are not available to them due to service rules.

''Under this scheme, the employee shall be granted sabbatical leave for a period not less than 365 (three hundred sixty-five) extendable upto a maximum of 1080 (one thousand eighty) days once in the entire service career,'' the official notification from the Department of Personnel said.

The notification further said that the scheme is applicable to temporary employees working under the state government departments on Work-charged, Muster Roll, Adhoc, Consolidated Pay, and One-Family One-Job drawing pay from the Consolidated Fund of the state but shall not apply to temporary employees appointed under Public Sector Undertakings, Boards, Projects and Centrally Sponsored Schemes, etc.

''Temporary employees desirous of availing the leave should have completed not less than 6 (six) months of service. An employee opting for sabbatical leave shall apply for leave in the prescribed format (Annexure lI). The request of an employee for proceeding on sabbatical leave shall be recommended by the concerned Head of Department for approval of the Government through the Department of Personnel,'' the notification added.

It further said that since most of the temporary employees are appointed for a period of two years, sabbatical leave shall not be granted to these employees beyond their service tenure. 

''However, in the event of extension of their temporary employment sabbatical leave may be extended as per the conditions prescribed in paragraph 5 above,'' it added.

The notification said that a temporary employee, on Sabbatical leave shall be provided with monthly wages or consolidated pay at the rate of 50 per cent of the monthly wages or consolidated pay admissible to him immediately prior to proceeding on sabbatical leave.