The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday said it will increase the maternity leave for its employees having their third child to 365 days from 12 weeks, the Deccan Herald reported.

The state initially had 90 days of maternity leave for women government employees. This duration was later increased to six months in 2011, nine months in 2016, and one year in 2021 by successive governments led by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

In March, the state government restricted maternity leave to 12 weeks for government employees with two or more surviving children by amending a provision in the state’s Fundamental Rules, which regulate working conditions, The New Indian Express. The decision was taken following a Supreme Court order.

In June, the Madras High Court upheld the provision while hearing the case of a government employee who had asked for 365 days of leave after she had her third child.

The announcement made by State Minister for Human Resources Management D Sarathkumar on Tuesday reverses this position.

The development comes days after state Health Minister KG Arunraj indicated that Tamil Nadu could consider giving couples incentives to have more children, keeping in mind the state’s falling fertility rate and ageing population, The New Indian Express reported.

The minister said that Tamil Nadu’s total fertility rate had fallen below 1.4 against the replacement rate of 2.1, while close to 16% of its population is above 60 years of age. The replacement level refers to the fertility rate that is necessary for a population to replace itself from one generation to the next.

Edited by Sneha.

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