Just a month after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley gave the green light to 26 week maternity leave for public and private sector; Rajya Sabha cemented this suggestion by passing the Maternity Benefit Bill.
This means that now it will be mandatory to give expecting women 26 week maternity leave. This will be valid for all organisations, both government and private, with over 10 women employees and for the first two children only.
What you must know about this bill...
This bill was prepared after the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) gave its feedback to Labour and Employment Ministry. They then crafted the bill based on these inputs.
The WCD was earlier vying for a 32 week maternity leave, but it was settled at 26 weeks as the 44th, 45th and 46th Indian Labour Conference had recommended enhancement of maternity benefits to 24 weeks.
This bill is extremely beneficial and important to expecting Indian mothers for two reasons:
- With this bill, the government is encouraging women to continue exclusive breastfeeding for a minimum of six months
- With this bill, the government is trying to bring down infant mortality rate and boost immunity, both of which are possible with breastfeeding
WCD minister Maneka Gandhi reportedly said, "According to a UNICEF report, if a mother breastfeeds for seven months then many diseases in infants can be prevented. So we have proposed six and a half months."
You cannot be expelled when you rejoin work...
People were earlier skeptical about rejoining post maternity leave since many have faced expulsion at the hands of their private companies.
But Maneka Gandhi told mediapersons, "I don't think this will deter companies from hiring women. No one can multitask like women." She also added, "Most people presume it is a holiday. Let me tell you it can be as stressful as it gets."
Best news is, you will also get a creche facility
Yes, you read it right! The bill has also made it mandatory for companies with more than 50 female employees to have a creche facility.
Here are a few other benefits you can avail:
- 12 weeks of maternity leave can be availed in cases of surrogacy (commissioning mother)
- 12 weeks of maternity leave can be availed in cases of adoption
Since maternity leave will impact more than 1.8 million working women in the country, it received an all round support from the Upper House and was passed by consensus.
Read: 9 questions you must ask your company before you apply for a maternity leave
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