Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 passed in the Parliament
The Lok Sabha has passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016
today. The Bill had already been passed by the Rajya Sabha during the
Winter Session. With this, the Bill stands passed in the Parliament.
The Bill seeks to amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 to provide for
the following:-
(i) Maternity leave available to the working women to be increased from
12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two living children.
(ii) Maternity leave pregnancy for beyond the first two living children will continue to
be 12 weeks.
(iii) Maternity leave of 12 weeks to be available to mothers adopting a
child below the age of three months as well as to the “commissioning
mothers”. The commissioning mother has been defined as biological mother
who uses her egg to create an embryo planted in any other woman.
(iv) Every establishment with more than 50 employees to provide for
crèche facilities for working mothers and such mothers will be permitted
to make four visits during working hours to look after and feed the
child in the crèche.
(v) The employer may permit a woman to work from home if it is possible
to do so.
(vi) Every establishment will be required to make these benefits
available to the women from the time of her appointment
(Source: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Women and Child
Development, 9th March, 2017)
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