Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has extended one day of paid menstrual leave per month to employees in the government sector as well. This follows the earlier decision issued last month, which mandated one day of paid menstrual leave a month to women aged 18 to 52 who are working in permanent, contractual and outsourced jobs.

The policy is applicable to women working in all industries and establishments registered under the Factories Act, 1948; the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961; the Plantation Workers Act, 1951; the Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966; and the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, the government had stated.

Leave now extended to government departments

On December 2, the government ordered the granting of one day of menstrual leave every month to female government employees of the state with immediate effect. Menstruating women government employees between the age group of 18 and 52 are eligible to avail this leave.

According to the order, the authority competent to grant casual leave may grant menstrual leave. It added that no medical certificate is required to avail this leave.

The government also clarified that this leave should be entered separately in the leave or attendance book and should not be combined with any other leave.

Industry body challenges earlier directive

The Bangalore Hotels Association (BHA) had recently approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the state government's directive in November that made menstrual leave compulsory for women employees across various sectors.

The association questioned the very basis of the order, highlighting that the state itself had not extended such leave to women working in government departments.

It had termed the order discriminatory, pointing out that the state, despite being one of the largest employers of women, had not implemented a similar provision for its own workforce.

PTI inputs