New Delhi, September 5, 2026: Union Minister of State for Science & Technology and several other portfolios Dr. Jitendra Singh has called for continued efforts to make government service rules more responsive to the needs of employees and their families.
Speaking at the launch of ‘CSS Shield’, a mutual support initiative of the Central Secretariat Services (CSS) Forum, the Minister said collective efforts can help create a stronger culture of standing with families during times of sudden loss.
Financial Support for Bereaved Families
The CSS Shield initiative has been designed to provide financial assistance to families of deceased CSS officers. During the launch programme, Dr. Jitendra Singh presented financial assistance to the families of late Shri Mohan Chandra Bhatt and late Shri Rajendra Chandra.
The Minister described the initiative as an expression of solidarity within the service community, stressing that its effectiveness would depend largely on the collective willingness of members to contribute and support one another.
The programme was attended by CSS Forum office-bearers and members, serving officers, colleagues and family members of the two late officers.
‘Contribute for Family, Support with Dignity’
CSS Shield has been developed around the principle “Contribute for Family, Support with Dignity”.
According to the CSS Forum, officers had already been voluntarily contributing towards families of deceased colleagues before the formal launch of the initiative. The experience during the COVID-19 period further highlighted the need for a more structured system of mutual assistance.
Since 2020, CSS officers have collectively contributed approximately ₹1.30 crore to support the families of around 65–70 deceased officers.
The formal CSS Shield mechanism aims to make such assistance more consistent and predictable.
Assistance of at Least ₹15 Lakh
Under the initiative, the Forum intends to provide at least ₹15 lakh to a bereaved family, with plans to increase the level of support as participation and the corpus grow.
The CSS Forum represents approximately 13,000 members of the Central Secretariat Service. Wider participation could allow the initiative to build a stronger financial support system for families facing the loss of a serving officer.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also suggested expanding the initiative beyond immediate financial assistance. He said scholarships for children of deceased CSS officers could be considered as the programme develops.
Making Service Rules More Responsive
The Minister linked CSS Shield with the broader objective of making government service systems more sensitive to the changing needs of employees and their families.
He noted that service-related provisions have been reviewed and modified in recent years and said there remains scope to introduce or revise rules wherever existing arrangements can be made more responsive.
He also emphasised the importance of continuously reviewing procedures so that government institutions remain sensitive to the practical difficulties faced by employees and their families.
Remembering Officers Who Served
The launch programme also paid tribute to Mohan Chandra Bhatt and Rajendra Chandra, recalling their contributions during their government service.
The initiative concluded with a renewed emphasis on the CSS community’s commitment to supporting colleagues and their families during difficult circumstances.
The CSS Shield model seeks to turn that commitment into a structured support mechanism, reflecting the message of “Together We Serve, Together We Support.”