Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Dr Jitendra Singh on Saturday called for continued efforts to make government service rules more responsive to the needs of employees and their families, while welcoming the ‘CSS Shield’ initiative aimed at supporting bereaved families of Central Secretariat Service (CSS) officers.
Speaking at the launch of the initiative by the Central Secretariat Service Forum, Singh said collective efforts by colleagues could create a culture of standing by families during times of sudden loss. He said the mechanism was relatively simple to implement, with the key requirement being the collective willingness to contribute.
As part of the launch, the minister presented financial assistance to the families of two deceased CSS officers, late Mohan Chandra Bhatt and late Rajendra Chandra.
Singh said the initiative was aligned with the Personnel Ministry’s broader efforts to make government service systems more sensitive and responsive. He noted that several service provisions have been amended in recent years to reflect changing requirements and said the government remained open to reviewing or modifying rules wherever necessary.
He also suggested expanding the scope of CSS Shield as its participation and financial corpus grow. This could include scholarships for children of deceased CSS officers, enabling the initiative to provide longer-term support to affected families.
The CSS Shield initiative has been launched under the principle of “Contribute for Family, Support with Dignity” to create a structured mechanism for collective financial assistance to bereaved families.
According to the CSS Forum, its members had been providing voluntary assistance to families of deceased officers even before the formal launch of the initiative. The experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when several CSS officers died, highlighted the need for a more organised and dependable support system.
Since 2020, CSS officers have collectively contributed around ₹1.30 crore to assist the families of approximately 65-70 deceased officers. Under the formalised CSS Shield initiative, the Forum aims to provide at least ₹15 lakh to each bereaved family and increase the assistance progressively as participation expands.
With around 13,000 members in the Central Secretariat Service, the Forum expects the initiative’s financial support to grow substantially over time.
The event also paid tribute to Bhatt and Rajendra, recalling their contributions to government service. Bhatt served in various capacities in the CSS and other government organisations, while Rajendra worked for around two decades in the Administration Division of the Department of Revenue.
The initiative is intended to strengthen solidarity within the CSS community and institutionalise support for colleagues’ families during difficult times.
