Tamil Nadu extends 365-day maternity leave to third child

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday announced that women employed by the state government will be entitled to 365 days of maternity leave for a third child, extending a benefit currently available for the first two children.

The measure was among a sweeping package of welfare, healthcare and education initiatives announced by the government in the Legislative Assembly. Other measures include a five-fold increase in health insurance coverage for families, higher milk procurement prices, thousands of additional seats in medical and nursing courses and new benefits for MLAs.

Under the new policy, women state government employees will receive a full year of maternity leave for their third child, putting the entitlement on par with that available for the first and second children.

The announcement, however, drew criticism from the opposition DMK, which questioned whether it was consistent with Tamil Nadu’s long-standing emphasis on family planning.

Vijay also announced a support package for all 234 members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, with each MLA to be provided a government vehicle for constituency work.

The Chief Minister said legislators frequently had to travel across their constituencies to meet residents, inspect development projects and coordinate with officials. The government said providing vehicles would help MLAs perform these duties more effectively.

Each legislator will also receive Rs75,000 a month towards expenses including the driver, fuel and vehicle maintenance, as well as Rs25,000 a month to appoint a secretary to handle constituency correspondence and other official work.

The government said some members of the current Assembly were first-time legislators and came from economically modest backgrounds, making logistical support important for carrying out their responsibilities.

The total cost of providing vehicles and allowances to MLAs and the date on which the benefits will take effect were not immediately announced.

In another major announcement, Vijay said the annual treatment limit under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme would be raised from Rs500,000 to Rs2.5 million per beneficiary family.

The Chief Minister said access to medical care was a fundamental right and should not be restricted to those who could afford it. The increase is intended to reduce the financial burden on families requiring expensive treatment.

The government also announced that additional medical and surgical services for transgender people would be made available under the insurance scheme at government facilities in Chennai, Stanley, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chengalpattu, Thiruvarur, Karur and Kanyakumari.

The government will spend Rs3.51 billion to expand student capacity at government medical and healthcare institutions, creating 6,098 additional seats.

These will include 660 B.Sc. Nursing seats, 1,925 additional places in nursing colleges and schools, 2,778 seats across 12 paramedical courses and another 735 seats in medical courses.

Seven new government nursing colleges will also be established.

Perambalur is to get a 400-bed multi-speciality hospital at an estimated cost of Rs3 billion, aimed at expanding access to advanced treatment.

The state also announced an increase in the milk procurement price from Rs38 to Rs41 per litre, a measure expected to benefit more than 316,000 milk producers.

In addition, the government incentive paid to producers will rise from Rs3 to Rs5 per litre.

The higher procurement price alone is expected to cost the government an additional Rs300 million a month, or Rs3.60 billion annually.

With inputs from IANS and ANI