Maternity Leave Incentive Scheme 2021 – 26 Weeks Paid Leave Benefit to Pregnant Women Employees in Govt. / Private Sector

Pregnancy is a delicate period in any woman’s life. During such a time, any and every form of support goes a long way in protecting the health of the mother and the child. Maternity leave is considered to be the right kind of support an expecting woman can receive from her workplace and is a great step towards woman empowerment.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment of Central government has therefore proposed Maternity Leave incentive scheme for the public sector and also for the private sector so that women working across sectors would not have to lose jobs because of pregnancy and that they also receive due benefits that they are and should be entitled to, for having worked hard for their respective companies.

Maternity Leave incentives offered by the Government

The important features and highlights of the Maternity leave scheme are mentioned herewith:

• Any company, factory, shop or mines which has more than 10 employees will be covered under the implementation of the Maternity Leave Incentive scheme.
• Maternity Benefit Act of 1961 will regulate the employment of women at their working places before and after childbirth and provide them with certain benefits.
• The implementation of the Scheme is an excellent move in the public and private sectors as women get to benefit from the scheme, especially during pregnancy and that they can rest assured about having their jobs post-delivery.
• The Central government is working on a Maternity Leave Incentive scheme wherein seven weeks of wages would be reimbursed to employers who employ women workers with a wage ceiling up to ₹15,000 and provide maternity leave for 26 weeks subject to certain conditions.

Paving the way for a new world

Maternity leaves were frowned upon by traditional companies who always sought out ways to come up with flimsy reasons for termination of the contract the very moment a woman wished to avail maternity leave benefits. That is because employers often looked at giving off financial assistance to a woman who works for them to be a liability to company profits.

Over the years, however, this trend seems to be changing as governments get involved in the procedure and are overlooking the matter. Maternity leaves are a source of woman empowerment and do not compel a woman to leave her job.

In conclusion

Women empowerment begins when they are supported through things they find difficult. Women play multiple roles throughout the day and offering them support and sharing the load is the least one can do. In order to offer financial assistance and to offer the assurance that they can resume work after their delivery, the Maternal leave scheme works wonderfully.

In the long term, this scheme will establish job security for expecting women. Also, they will not have to worry about having to retain their jobs once they have delivered the child, so that way, they can rest, recuperate, tend to the needs of the child, and be back only when they deem it perfectly fine to resume work. This works towards their physical and mental wellbeing and eventually makes them more efficient at what they do, ever more so than before.