LS passed the Maternity Benefit Bill, 2016

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Lok Sabha passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016. It will increase maternity benefit to woman covered under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, for up to two surviving children.

This allows the mother to take care of a child during their most formative stage. The Act entitles working women in all public and private workplaces to 26 weeks of maternity leave. Additionally it provides maternity benefits of 12 weeks to the commissioning mother — the biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo implanted in any other woman, and the adopting mother, if she adopts a child below the age of three months. A woman with two or more children will get 12 weeks of leave.

The Bill, as amended, increases the maximum period of maternity benefits from the existing 12 weeks to 26 weeks, in case of women who have less than two surviving children and, in other cases, the existing period of 12 weeks maternity benefit shall continue. This extends the maternity benefits to a ‘commissioning mother’, and ‘adopting mother’ who shall be entitled to twelve weeks maternity benefit from the date the child is handed over.

Every establishment shall intimate in writing and electronically to every woman at the time of her initial appointment about the benefits available under the Act.