CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has issued a letter to all secretaries and heads of departments, confirming the government order increasing the period of maternity leave for government employees to 12 months from the existing nine months.
The letter was issued from the office of the chief secretary on Friday, making official the announcement made by state finance minister P T R Palanivel Thiagarajan during the assembly session last month and the subsequent government order passed on August 23. “The maternity leave admissible to married women government servants with less than two surviving children, which is nine months (270 days) at present, be enhanced to 12 months with effect from July 1, with full pay, which may be spread over from the pre-confinement rest to post confinement recuperation, at the option of the women government servants,” the letter stated.
Government employees who proceeded on maternity leave prior to July 1 and continue to be on that leave shall also be eligible for maternity leave for a period not exceeding 365 days in total. Women employees who rejoined duty between July 1 and August 28 (date of GO) after 270 days of maternity break may also be given leave for three more months, the letter added.
The announcement was one of the DMK’s poll promises. The policy will help the state’s target of increasing the number of infants who are breastfed in the first six months of life. It will also help mothers get back to good health, said officials from the social welfare department. “Tamil Nadu provides cash benefits, free vaccination and nutrition supplement for mothers and babies. But several mothers are not able to take care of themselves and their babies because they don’t have enough time,” said a senior social welfare official. The longer maternity leave will change this, the official said.
