Maternity and paternity leave is given to government and corporate employees. However, the number of holidays of both may change. Now the Sikkim government has increased the number of maternity and paternity leave for its government employees. With this decision of the state government, now maternity and paternity leave will be available for more days.
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said on Wednesday that his government will give 12 months maternity leave and 1 month paternity leave to its employees. Addressing the annual general meeting of the Sikkim State Civil Service Officers’ Association (SSSCOA) here, he said changes would be made in the service rules to benefit the employees.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said that the maternity and paternity benefits would help government employees to take better care of their children and families. He said that the notification of its detailed details will be issued soon. This decision of the state government has come in order to provide a worry-free working environment to the employees.
As per the Maternity Benefit Act 1961, a working woman is entitled to paid maternity leave of 6 months or 26 weeks. But, the Sikkim government has increased the number of this holiday to 12 months. Along with this, the number of paternity leave has been increased to 1 month. During these holidays, the employee will be paid the same salary as before.
The Chief Minister of Sikkim, which has the lowest population of about 6.32 lakhs in India, said that officers are the backbone of the state administration, who contribute significantly to the growth and development of Sikkim and its people. He said that significant attention has been paid to streamlining the promotion process for civil service officers, which has led to an increase in the number of promotions.
