Karnataka extends paid menstrual leave to women government employees
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The Karnataka government has extended one day of paid menstrual leave per month to women employed in the state’s government sector.
The order took effect on December 2 and applies to all female government employees between the ages of 18 and 52 who undergo menstruation.
This decision follows the government’s earlier directive issued in November, which mandated one day of paid menstrual leave per month for women aged 18 to 52 working in permanent, contractual, and outsourced positions.
That order covered 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.
According to the latest order, menstrual leave may be granted by the authority that approves casual leave, and employees do not need to submit a medical certificate. The leave must be recorded separately in the attendance or leave register and cannot be combined with any other form of leave.
The move comes amid a legal challenge filed by the Bangalore Hotels Association in the Karnataka High Court. The association had questioned the state’s November directive, arguing that the order was discriminatory because the government had not extended a similar provision to its own employees despite being one of the largest employers of women in the state.
With the new order, the government has now aligned the public sector with the policy enforced across private and industrial establishments.