TN govt grants 1 year maternity leave for third child

The chief minister Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced that it would extend the maternity leave window from 12 weeks to 365 days for its women employees having their third child. Under the existing framework, women government employees with fewer than two surviving children are entitled to 365 days of maternity leave. Those with two or more children receive up to 12 weeks, or 84 days, of leave with full pay. Tamil Nadu's minister for human resources management, D Sarathkumar, made the announcement in the state Assembly during the demand for grants to his department.
He said, "Under these circumstances, as the Tamil Nadu government is a welfare-oriented administration prioritising social welfare and women's empowerment, the maternity leave currently provided for the third child of female government employees will be enhanced from 12 weeks to 365 days".The 12-week provision for government employees with two or more children was introduced in line with the Supreme Court’s interpretation that maternity benefits cannot be denied for a third child.
In 2011, the original 90-day maternity leave window was increased to six months, which was further boosted to nine months in 2016, and extended to one year (365 days) in July 2021 by the respective state governments at the time, led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
The announcement came as first-time TVK MLA R Pallavi drew attention by bringing her newborn to the ongoing Assembly session. Pallavi brought the baby to the Assembly premises and left the child with a caregiver before entering the main hall to participate in the proceedings, official sources said. The caregiver looked after the newborn in a room near the Assembly hall until Pallavi returned. Pallavi was elected from Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar segment in Chennai in the 2026 assembly elections.