Centre Extends 180-Day Maternity Leave To Women Government Employees With Surrogate Children
Previously, there were no provisions for granting maternity leave to women government employees in case a child was born through surrogacy.
The Union government has recently amended a 50-year-old rule to extend maternity leave benefits to women government employees who have children through surrogacy. As per a notification from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, these employees can now take up to 180 days of maternity leave.
Previously, such provisions were not available for women government employees in such cases.
Under the amended Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, the term 'surrogate mother' refers to the woman who bears the child on behalf of the commissioning mother, while 'commissioning father' denotes the intending father of the child born through surrogacy.
Additionally, the changes allow the 'commissioning mother' (the intending mother of the child born through surrogacy) to avail childcare leave along with a paternity leave of 15 days for the 'commissioning father'. This adjustment aims to provide adequate support to government employees involved in the surrogacy process.
In specific scenarios, where either the surrogate or the commissioning mother has fewer than two surviving children and is a government servant, they may now qualify for maternity leave of 180 days, according to the updated rules.
Similarly, a male government servant who becomes a commissioning father through surrogacy and has fewer than two surviving children is eligible for 15 days of paternity leave within six months from the child's delivery date.
