New Delhi, Sept 5: Union Minister of State for Personnel Dr Jitendra Singh on Saturday called for continued efforts to make government service rules and systems more responsive to the needs of employees and their families.
Welcoming the ‘CSS Shield’ initiative launched by the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) Forum, Singh said collective efforts to support bereaved families could help foster a stronger culture of solidarity within government services.
Addressing the launch event, he said the mechanism was not difficult to implement and required collective will and willingness to contribute. He added that when colleagues come together to support a bereaved family, it sends a meaningful message beyond the organisation.
The event was attended by office-bearers and members of the CSS Forum, serving CSS officers, colleagues and family members of late Mohan Chandra Bhatt and late Rajendra Chandra. Singh presented financial assistance to the families of the two deceased officers under the initiative.
The Minister said CSS Shield was in line with the broader efforts of the Personnel Ministry to make government service systems more responsive to employees and their families.
He noted that several service-related provisions had been amended in recent years to reflect changing requirements, adding that the Government remained open to introducing new provisions or modifying existing rules wherever necessary.
Referring to the approach under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said there was continuous encouragement to review rules and procedures and make changes wherever existing arrangements could be improved.
He also suggested expanding the CSS Shield initiative as its participation and corpus grow. Scholarships for children of deceased CSS officers could be considered as part of the support extended to bereaved families, he said.
The CSS Shield initiative is based on the principle of “Contribute for Family, Support with Dignity” and aims to provide collective financial assistance to families of deceased CSS officers.
According to the CSS Forum, members had been supporting bereaved families through voluntary contributions even before the formal launch of the initiative. The experience during the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for a structured mechanism of mutual support.
Since 2020, CSS officers have collectively contributed around Rs 1.30 crore to assist the families of approximately 65–70 deceased officers, the Forum said.
Under CSS Shield, the Forum aims to provide at least Rs 15 lakh to each bereaved family, with plans to enhance the assistance progressively as participation increases. With around 13,000 CSS members, the Forum hopes to substantially expand the support in the future.
The programme also paid tribute to late Mohan Chandra Bhatt and late Rajendra Chandra, recalling their contributions to public service.
The launch reaffirmed the CSS Forum’s commitment to supporting its members and their families during difficult times and strengthening the spirit of “Together We Serve, Together We Support.”
