Tamil Nadu govt passes orders increasing maternity leave to 9 months

New Delhi: It's a good news for women employees in government services. Tamil Nadu government issued notification on Monday increasing maternity leave given to women government employees from 6 months to 9 months.

The Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had announced in September that maternity leave period for women government employees would be increased to 9 months. "In 2011, my government increased the maternity leave from 90 days to six months. Now, the government is increasing the maternity leave from six months to nine months," Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had said in the state assembly.

“The women government servants who proceeded on maternity leave, prior to the date of issue of this order and continue to be on this leave as of now, are also eligible for availing maternity leave up to nine months (270 days) in total,” the order said.

Woman employees “with less than two surviving children”, will be eligible for the 9-month maternity leave with full pay, it added. The period may be “spread over from the pre-confinement rest to post-confinement recuperation, at the option of the woman government servant,” it said.

The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu had increased the maternity leave given to women government employees from three to six months after assuming office in 2011.