CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has announced a major welfare measure for women government employees, extending the 365-day maternity leave benefit to the third child.
Under the earlier rules, women employees were entitled to up to one year of maternity leave for their first two children. For the third child or subsequent children, the leave was limited to 12 weeks.
The revised provision will now allow women government employees to avail themselves of a full year of maternity leave even after the birth of their third child.
The government said the decision was aimed at supporting the welfare and empowerment of women employees. The extended leave is expected to give mothers more time to care for newborns and help them better manage family responsibilities along with their careers.
The state government has also announced a major expansion of health insurance coverage under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay said the annual insurance coverage would be increased from ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh.
The enhanced coverage is expected to provide greater financial support to poor and middle-class families facing the cost of treatment for serious illnesses.
The extension of maternity leave to the third child is being seen as a significant employee-friendly measure, particularly for women working in the state government sector.