Sikkim Becomes First State to Give 12-month Maternity Leave
Sikkim Government's Progressive Measures to Support Parenthood and Address Population Decline.
According to the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961 now gives new mothers the right to avail six months of paid leave for their first two children. For subsequent children, they can take three months of fully paid leave. The Act also extends the same benefits to surrogate mothers, and those who have adopted children. As per government rules, male government employees can take paternity leave for 15 days. They can use this leave up to 6 months from the birth of the child. Now, Sikkim’s Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced that his government will implement a 12-month maternity leave and a one-month paternity leave for its employees. He emphasized that this initiative aims to support government employees in providing better care for their children and families. During a meeting of the Sikkim State Civil Service Officers' Association (SSCSOA), CM Tamang said that the officers are the backbone of the state administration (very important for the state) and that is why he wants to give them better facilities like leave etc. Earlier this year in January, CM had expressed concern about the declining population of the state. To address this issue, CM Tamang said it is important to give local people some incentives to produce more children. This is a significant move by the Sikkim government as Sikkim is the least populated state in India with an estimated population of 6.32 lakh.
