Chennai: The MK Stalin government in Tamil Nadu increases the maternity leave period for government employees from nine months to one year on Friday, fulfilling the promise made in the DMK election manifesto.
Making this announcement in assembly in its inaugural budget speech, Minister of Finance Tamil Nadu Thiagarajan said this scheme would be limited to women with less than two children who were still alive with the effect of July 1.
The policy will help the country’s target of increasing the number of babies breastfed in the first six months of life.
It will also help the mothers return to good health in a short time, officials said from the Social Welfare Department.
“Tamil Nadu provides cash benefits, free vaccination and nutritional supplements for mothers and babies.
But some mothers cannot take care of themselves and their babies because they do not have time,” said a senior social welfare department official.
The duration of longer pregnancy leave will change this, he said.