STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The government has decided to grant a special maternity leave of 60 days to a woman employee in case of the death of a child soon after the birth or stillbirth with some conditions.
According to a SO 124 notification in this regard has been issued by Director General Codes, Finance Department, the condition includes that “in case a maternity leave has already been availed by a woman employee and her leave continues till the date of expiry of (a) child soon after birth/stillbirth, the maternity leave already availed till death of the child may be converted into any other kind of leave available in her leave account without insisting for a medical certificate”.
A Special Maternity Leave of 60 days may be granted from the date of expiry of a child soon after birth or stillbirth in case the maternity leave has not been availed by a woman employee, the notification reads, adding, “60 days of Special Maternity Leave may be granted from the date of expiry of (a) child soon after birth/stillbirth.”
As per the notification, the condition for the death of a child soon after birth may be defined as up to 28 days after birth. A baby born with no signs of life at or after 28 weeks of gestation may be defined as stillbirth and the benefit of Special Maternity Leave shall be admissible only to a woman employee with less than two surviving children, it reads.
The other rules as per order include that Special Maternity leave shall not be debited against the leave account and may be combined with any other kind of leave, and during the period of such leave, she shall be paid leave salary equal to pay drawn immediately before proceeding on leave, the notification mentions.