TN announces one-year maternity leave for third child

Key points

• After a Supreme Court order, the decision comes after the state amended Fundamental Rule 101(A) in March, restricting maternity leave…
• CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday unveiled that woman government employees will be entitled to 365 days of maternity…
• The amended provision was also upheld by the Madras High Court in June in a case involving a woman administration…
• Chennai: A few days after minister Aadhav Arjuna said the PM additionally should hail from TN, Minister D Sarathkumar, speaking…

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday unveiled that woman government employees will be entitled to 365 days of maternity leave for their third child, from the current 12 weeks. Human Resources Management Minister D Sarathkumar announced this in the Assembly during the demand for grants discussion.

After a Supreme Court order, the decision comes after the state amended Fundamental Rule 101(A) in March, restricting maternity leave to 12 weeks for woman government employees with two or more surviving children.

The amended provision was also upheld by the Madras High Court in June in a case involving a woman administration employee who sought 365 days of leave for her third child. The court held that she was entitled to only 12 weeks under the amended rules.

The latest announcement reverses that position and provides a 365-day maternity leave benefit for the third child.

What happened

The move also comes days after Health Minister K G Arunraj indicated that TN could consider incentives to encourage couples to have more children, citing the state’s declining fertility rate and ageing population. While almost 16% of the state’s population is aged above 60, arunraj said TN’s total fertility rate has fallen below 1.4, against the replacement level of 2.1.

Welcoming the move, M Manimekalai of the Tamil Nadu Primary School Teachers’ Federation said the benefit would assist women opting to have a third child, but the number of beneficiaries is expected to be small. The elementary education department is among those with the highest proportion of woman employees, with women accounting for more than 80% of its workforce.

Manimekalai said the number of families having more than two children has reduced drastically even in rural areas. As the absence of such replacements puts further pressure on schools, she also stated the government should resume appointing substitute teachers when teachers go on extended or maternity leave.

C Sekar, coordinator of JACTO-GEO, said the benefit was probable to have limited reach as the government is recruiting fewer employees and numerous join the workforce only after 40 years of age.

The details

CM Vijay should become the PM of India: Minister

Chennai: A few days after minister Aadhav Arjuna said the PM additionally should hail from TN, Minister D Sarathkumar, speaking during the Assembly session on Tuesday, said CM Vijay. This person worked tirelessly without concern for time of day should one day become the PM. He also heaped praise on Vijay, saying that if a tax were imposed on those who appreciated the TVK administration, entire debt of the country could be cleared, he said. ENS