Bhubaneswar:In a move that promises significant relief for female government employees, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has personally intervened to untangle the complexities surrounding maternity leave (ML).
Addressing widespread confusion and concern, Shri Majhi, who oversees the Finance Portfolio, has approved a comprehensive overhaul, simplifying access and providing clear guidelines for this essential benefit.
Previously, female government employees faced uncertainty when trying to utilize their 180-day maternity leave entitlement for up to two living children. Now, those ambiguities are a thing of the past.
The new framework allows women to take their 180 days of leave flexibly, anytime between three months before their expected delivery date and six months after the child’s birth.
One of the most welcome changes addresses a long-standing predicament: what if a woman joins government service after giving birth? The new rules now permit her to avail maternity leave, provided her child is still under six months old, offering crucial support even if the full 180 days aren’t applicable in such cases.
The Chief Minister’s initiative also extends vital provisions for difficult circumstances:
- Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Newborn Loss: Should a female employee experience a miscarriage, stillbirth (a lifeless child after 28 weeks of pregnancy), or the death of a child within 28 days of birth, she will now receive 42 days of maternity leave from that date.
- Later Child Demise: If the unfortunate event of a child’s death occurs between 29 and 120 days after birth, the employee will be granted an additional 14 days of special maternity leave. This special leave can either be appended if her original maternity leave has already ended, or used to extend her existing leave to a full 14 days from the incident date.
It’s important to note that the maternity leave is applicable for a maximum of two living children, and the delivery must occur in a recognized hospital.
In a thoughtful addition, the new policy clarifies that if a female employee is promoted while on maternity leave, her official joining date for the higher post will be recorded upon the receipt of her joining report, allowing her to continue her maternity leave without interruption.
Furthermore, employees now have the flexibility to take their maternity leave as a single continuous block or in multiple phases, catering to individual needs.