The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 – Overview

Introduction Comprising half the population, women make up a crucial chunk of the workforce. Employment demands the need to balance work and child-bearing and child-rearing responsibilities. The Constitutional framework endeavours to provide equality to women in all walks of life. In furtherance of this pursuit, the Maternity Benefit Act, going along the lines of the International Labor Organisation, aims to grant maternity protection to women. The Maternity Benefit Act of 1961 and the very recent…

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Common Creche Facility Under the Code on Social Security

Background The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 was amended in 2017 to introduce various new reforms. The requirement to maintain creche facilities if an establishment employed at least 50 employees was brought in as part of the reform initiative. The Amendment Act stipulated that the creche facility was to be maintained within a prescribed distance. However, it failed to provide clarity on multiple aspects such as the age group for which the creche was to be…

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