Photo of Akshat Sahajpal

Associate in the Employment Law Practice at the Bangalore office of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Akshat graduated from the Gujarat National Law University in 2018. He can be reached at akshat.sahajpal@cyrilshroff.com

The Karnataka Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Rules, 2019

The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (the Act) was introduced to regulate the maternity and related benefits that are extended to women in certain establishments for a period before and after childbirth.

In 2017, by way of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 (Amendment Act), various progressive changes were brought about to the law, such as an increase in maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks, provision for maternity leave for adopting mothers and commissioning mothers, and the introduction of a work-from-home concept as part of an employee’s conditions of service.

Section 11A of the Act, which was introduced under the Amendment Act, made it compulsory for every establishment employing 50 or more employees to provide a crèche facility for its employees. The Amendment Act uses the term “employees” and not “women” thus leading to varied interpretations – for example, does “employees” include employees of all genders and does the Act apply to both permanent as well as contract employees?
Continue Reading The Karnataka Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Rules, 2019: Good Intentions But Can It Be Implemented?