Increased maternity leaves – A Govt of India initiative

The number of days that were granted as maternity leaves was always a concern for the new-moms that is until now! Thanks to the Govt of India, as the 12 weeks maternity leaves have become a mandatory 26 weeks affair with full wages.

Earlier, it was something like by the time one got the hang of the fact that she has a baby and the baby’s tasks become a routine, the maternity leaves of 4 months were over.  However, now thanks to Maneka Gandhi, Women and Child Development Minister, who proposed for an extended maternity leave from the current 12 weeks to 26 weeks, both in public & private sectors.

Obviously for every amendment there will be nay-Sayers. There have been concerns posed by the companies and HR analysts like would a new mother be prepared to work an eight or nine hour schedule in the office after she returns from a maternity leave of six months? Or due to rapidly changing work policies and technologies, a woman after a 6 month leave may find herself redundant or fish-out-of-water. Also, our Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is against the proposal, marking it a regressive step at a time when women are trying to become more economically independent.

Read here for the Amendments in the Maternity Benefit Act 1961 in details

Amendments to the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961

Let us know in the section below whether you consider this change to be a boon or a bane for the women in India who are trying to secure a gender equality standard for everyone.