Tamil Nadu implements India’s longest maternity leave of nine months for all government employees

The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order to implement CM J Jayalalithaa’s plan to increase the present paid maternity leave for all women employees in the government to nine months. 

The order comes two months after the CM had announced it in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. She had promised to increase the leave offered for maternity from the existing six months to nine months (270 days).

“The women government servants who proceeded on maternity leave, prior to the date of issue of this order and continue to be on this leave as of now, are also eligible for availing maternity leave up to nine months (270 days) in total,” the order released on Monday said.

The order also mentioned that the necessary amendments to the rules would be issues separately and that all women employees who have less than two surviving children  would be eligible for the nine-month maternity leave with full pay.

The period may be “spread over from the pre-confinement rest to post-confinement recuperation, at the option of the woman government servant,” it said.

The Tamil Nadu CM had promised the change on September 1 as a part of her party’s electoral promise. During her earlier tenure in 2011, she had enhanced the maternity leave from the then existing three months to six months.

The state already offers free ambulances to pick and drop expecting mothers to the hospital for delivery. Tamil Nadu is turning out to be a model state for expecting mothers.