Women in this state will now get 12-month maternity leave

The Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang on Wednesday announced that women government employees in his state will now get 12-month maternity leave and one-month paternity leave.

The announcement was made by the CM while addressing the annual general meeting of the Sikkim State Civil Service Officers’ Association (SSCSOA), he said that the move will be made in the service rules to provide the benefit. This benefit will help the government employees to take better care of their children and families, he said.

Currently, according to the Maternity Benefit Act 1961, a working woman is entitled to 6 months, or 26 weeks, of paid maternity leave.

Tamang also added that the officers are the backbone of the state administration, contributing significantly to the growth and development of Sikkim and its people and their government is focusing on streamlining the promotion process for civil services officers, leading to an increase in the number of promotions.