Lok Sabha Question No. 1032 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-17
Subject: Maternity Leave Incentive Scheme
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: VINOD KUMAR BOIANAPALLI, PANKAJ CHOWDHARY, MAHEISH GIRRI, JAGDAMBIKA PAL, HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, SUPRIYA SADANAND SULE, DHANANJAY BHIMRAO MAHADIK, P.R. SUNDARAM, RAJEEV SHANKARRAO SATAV, VIJAYSINH MOHITE PATIL, A. ARUNMOZHITHEVAN, JAYAKUMAR JAYAVARDHAN, C. N. JAYADEVAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1032 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2018

## MATERNITY LEAVE INCENTIVE SCHEME

## 1032.  SHRI B. VINOD KUMAR:

SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY:

SHRI MAHEISH GIRRI:

SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

SHRI DHANANJAY MAHADIK:

SHRI P.R. SUNDARAM:

SHRI SATAV RAJEEV:

SHRI MOHITE PATIL VIJAYSINH SHANKARRAO:

SHRI A. ARUNMOZHITHEVAN:

DR. J. JAYAVARDHAN:

SHRI C.N. JAYADEVAN:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)      whether  the  Government  is  working  on  an  incentive  scheme  wherein  7 weeks' wages would be reimbursed to employers who hire female workers in  private  sector  with  wages  up  to  Rs.  15,000  and  provide  the  maternity benefit of 26 weeks paid leave and funded from Labour Welfare Cess and if
- so, the details and the status thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b)      whether  the  Government  proposes  to  reimburse  employers  in  the  private sector 50 percent wages of the last 14 weeks of maternity leave;
- (c)   if so, the details thereof along with the aims and objectives and criteria laid down for the employers to provide compensation/paid maternity leave and the total financial allocation made for this purpose;
- (d)   whether implementation of amended Maternity Benefit Act, 2017 is not good in  private  sector  and  women  employees  are  not  getting  paid  maternity leave  from  12  weeks  to  26  weeks  for  both  commissioning  and  adopting mother's and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (e)    whether  the  Government  is  considering  any  proposal  to  include  women working    in  the  unorganized  sector  to  enable  them  to  avail  the  benefits under the Act, and if so, the details thereof;
- (f)    whether  the  Government  is  anticipating  decline  in  rate  of  labour  force participation of female population due to discriminatory hiring practices by the  employers  in  order  to  prevent  maternity  benefits  available  under  the said  Act  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  corrective  steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard; and

- (g)    whether  the  Government  has  increased/proposes  to  increase  minimum wages for all  sectors,  Agricultural,  Non-Agricultural  and  Construction  etc. and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE(IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) to (c) : Government  is  working  on  an  Incentive  Scheme wherein seven weeks wages shall  be reimbursed to  employers  who  employ  women  workers and provide the maternity benefit of 26 weeks paid leave, as provided for in the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 .

To enable an entity to avail of the incentive, the women employees working  in  their  entity  should  be  a  wage  earner  of  less  than  Rs.15,000/-  per month and a member of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for at least  one  year  and  not  covered  by  Employees'  State  Insurance Corporation (ESIC ) .  The scheme is proposed to be administered through EPFO and shall be implemented after obtaining the approval of the competent authorities. However, the incentives is not proposed to be funded from Labour Welfare Cess, but through the budgetary allocations, Government has not made any allocation for the scheme.

(d): No study has been conducted by the Government. Maternity Benefit Act  is  administered  by  the  State  Governments,  except  in  cases of  Mines  and Circus.

(e): No, Madam.

- (f): No  study  has  been  conducted  in  this  regard. However,  the provisions of Act, inter alia, is likely to increase the women employment as well as increase their social security of women. The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 is enforced and implemented by the respective State Governments in all sectors except  Mines  and  Circus. Advisories  are  issued  to  State  Governments from time to time for strict enforcement and compliance of the provisions of the Act.
- (g): Central  Government  has  notified  increase  in  the  basic  rate  of minimum wages for all sectors in the central sphere w.e.f. 19.01.2017. For the first time minimum wages for all sectors; agriculture, non-agricultural, construction,  etc.  have  been  increased  approx.  40%  respectively.    Minimum wage (per day) for non-agricultural worker in the area 'C' category for unskilled workers increased from Rs.250/- to Rs.350/-, Rs.312/- to 437/- in Area 'B' category and Rs.374/- to Rs.523/- in Area 'A' category.

********