In a major policy move aimed at strengthening women’s welfare, the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government has announced an extension of full maternity leave benefits for female state employees. Under the new directive, government employees having a third child will now be entitled to 365 days of paid maternity leave, bringing the benefit on par with the leave granted for the first two children.
Human Resources Management Minister D Sarathkumar made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly during the debate on the demand for grants for his department.
Previous Provision: Women employees with two or more surviving children were previously entitled to up to 12 weeks (84 days) of maternity leave with full pay.
New Allowance: The leave period for the third child has been enhanced to a full 365 days.
Parity Across Deliveries: Female state government workers will now receive 365 days of paid leave for their first, second, and third children alike.
Formal Implementation: A comprehensive Government Order (GO) detailing the rollout will be issued shortly.
Under Tamil Nadu’s standard eligibility rules, regular female government workers with fewer than two surviving children already receive 365 days of leave. The 12-week framework for a third pregnancy was maintained following previous directives from the judicial system regarding minimum statutory benefits.
By raising the duration for the third child to a full year, the state administration aims to eliminate disparity across maternity benefits while furthering workplace equity for female employees.
The expansion comes alongside growing discussions regarding Tamil Nadu’s demographic transition. Recent state health data indicates that Tamil Nadu’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has dropped below 1.4—well below the national replacement level of 2.1.
With an ageing demographic profile where nearly 16% of the population is over the age of 60, health and welfare administrators have been evaluating structural incentives to support growing families. Extending full-year maternity coverage for a third child forms part of the administration’s broader social security and women’s empowerment agenda.
Source: News18