Good News! The Indian government has agreed to almost double the paid maternity leave for employees in private companies to six and a half months. As reported by Indian Express , the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Ministry of Labour has decided to increase the maternity leave for private sector employees from 12 to 26 weeks.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi Monday said, “We had written to the Labour Ministry asking that the maternity leave be extended taking into account the six months of breastfeeding that is required post childbirth. The Labour Ministry has agreed to increase it to six-and-a-half months.” Women who adopt a child will be entitled to four months of paid leave.

Six months of exclusive breastfeeding is very important to combat malnutrition, diarrhoea and other diseases in infants and to lower infant mortality rate, said a WCD official.

Earlier, women employees in private firms were allowed to take 3 months of paid maternity leave, according to the Maternity Benefits Act, 1961, which will have to be amended to accommodate the change.

Maneka Gandhi has said she will push to extend the leave to eight months, or 32 weeks, for women employed in both private and government sectors. But WCD officials said the Labour Ministry has expressed reservations about increasing the maternity leave any further as they perceive that doing so will adversely affect the employability of women.

The International Labour Organisation recommends a minimum standard maternity leave of 14 weeks or more, though it encourages member states to increase it to at least 18 weeks. At 26 weeks, India is set to join the league of 42 countries where maternity leave exceeds 18 weeks. We heartily appreciate this move of WCD ministry.