Govt to refund employers for 7 weeks of maternity leave given to employees

The Women and Child Development ministry announced that government will give employers the salaries for seven of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for women earning more than Rs 15,000 a month.

The announcement, which covers the government as well as the private sector, comes in the wake of complaints that many companies were reluctant hire pregnant women after maternity leave was extended from 12 to 26 weeks and some were even ring women employees.

WCD Secretary Rakesh Srivastava said it has been decided to utilise the funds lying in the labour welfare cess to pay the employers. “The utilisation of the labour welfare cess lying with the state governments has been very less. After talks with the Labour Ministry it has been decided that the seven of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for all women employees in the private and government sector getting more than Rs 15,000 a month would be paid from that fund,”