Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida made the statement during the Independence Day celebrations in Cuttack. It will be the third state to implement such a policy.
The Odisha government announced on Thursday one-day menstrual leave for working women in both the commercial and public sectors, a decision largely praised by rights campaigners and female employees.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida made the statement during the Independence Day celebrations in Cuttack. “Earlier, menstruation leave was not permitted. Working women can now choose whether to take leave on the first or second day of their menstrual cycle. “It will apply to both government and private sector employees,” Parida told reporters after the ceremony.
The state government’s women and child development department will shortly issue specific guidelines to extend menstruation leave to working women, according to official sources.
Odisha is the third state (after Kerala and Bihar) to implement a menstrual leave policy for working women, responding to a national demand for paid leave for both students and working women.
The new BJP government’s decision comes a month after the Supreme Court on July 8 directed the Centre to consult all stakeholders on the demand for such a policy for working women. Officials said the declaration aided the incoming BJP government in maintaining its image as a “progressive government”.
Women account for around 1.5 lakh of the state government’s roughly four lakh employees. Despite the lack of official data, it is claimed that more than five lakh women labor in the private sector.
