Bhubaneswar: The menstruation leave policy in Odisha, approved by chief minister Mohan Majhi last month, will be restricted to govt employees under 55 years, a govt notification issued on Monday stated. The policy grants 12 days of leave annually.
The finance department notification specifies that employees can take one day of leave per month. The policy stipulates that unused leave from one month cannot be transferred to subsequent months. It will lapse automatically if not availed. “The leave of a month has to be availed the same month,” the notification said.
Govt sources said since the leave is one per month, this year the women employees will get two days extra leave, one each for November and December. From next year, they will get 12 leaves.
The govt’s decision to provide these additional 12 days of casual leave acknowledges the physical discomfort women face during their monthly menstrual cycle. This benefit is over and above the existing 10 casual leaves and five special casual leaves already available to women employees.
Women’s rights activists said the govt move should encourage private sectors to replicate. “To bring parity among women’s workforce in govt and private sectors, the corporates should follow suit,” Namrata Chadha, who champions the cause of women’s rights, said. She added, “The govt has generously extended the paid period leave for women up to the age of 55, giving a year’s grace though the menopause age is around 50 years.”
The latest notification supersedes the March 12 notification on additional leaves of women employees. On March 12, the finance department issued a notification to grant an additional 10 days of extra casual leaves, over and above the 15 days, to women but it didn’t specify how many they can avail at one go and there was no clarity on whether those leaves can be carried forward.
Odisha is the third state to offer menstrual leave. While Bihar offers menstrual leave to women employees since 1992, Kerala gives such leaves to female students in universities. Deputy chief minister Pravati Parida first announced the period leave in Odisha on August 15 amid demands from women’s rights activists.