1 Yr Maternity Leave & 1 Month Paternity Leave Announced in Sikkim

Gangtok, July 27: Sikkim has become the first State to extend one year maternity leave and one-month paternity leave to its employees to ensure better care, healthy growth and overall wellbeing of their kids.

Sikkim, a Himalayan paradise for the tourists, has just about 6.34 lakh population with better socio-economic parameters as compared to the national average. Women government employees were entitled to 6 months, or 26 weeks, of paid maternity leave under the Maternity Benefit Act 1961.

The new rules will be notified soon, news agency PTI quoted Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang as saying. He made the announcement during the annual general meeting of the Sikkim State Civil Service Officers' Association.

The Sikkim Government’s move comes after the Niti Aayog in May this year suggested that maternity leaves in India's public and private sectors should be increased to nine months from six months.