New Delhi, July 16 (TIWN) Even as the privatisation process drags on, the national carrier Air India has instituted a scheme whereby employees can opt for 'leave without pay' (LWP) from six months to five years.

Employees will be assessed by a board in the following categories: Suitability, efficiency, competence, quality of performance, health of the employee, instance of non-availability of the employee for duty in the past as a result of ill health or otherwise and redundancy.

Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal can now send employees on leave without pay "for six months or for a period of two years extendable upto five years," an official order said on Tuesday.

The departmental heads in the headquarter as well as regional directors are required to assess each employee "on the above mentioned factors and identify the cases where option of compulsory LWP can be exercised", the order said.

"Names of such employees need to be forwarded to the General Manager (Personnel) in headquarter for obtaining necessary approval of CMD," it added.