Defence Ministry Approves Equal Maternity and Child Care Leave for Women Soldiers

• 08 Nov 2023

Recently, Defence Minister granted approval for an extension of maternity, child care, and child adoption leave policies, making them equal for women soldiers, sailors, and air warriors in the Armed Forces, aligning with their officer counterparts.

Key Points

• Gender-Neutral Leave Rules: The new rules grant maternity, child care, and child adoption leave to all women in the military, irrespective of their rank, ensuring equal application across the board.
• Expansion of Women's Roles: The Indian Air Force and Navy recently began inducting women in their ranks after introducing the Agnipath military recruitment scheme last year.
• The Army initiated the inclusion of women in the Corps of Military Police (CMP) in 2019, and they are now inducted as Agniveers.
• Eligibility Criteria: The benefits of this proposal will be extended to women soldiers, sailors, and air warriors who are part of the 25% of Agniveers inducted into the services based on merit after completing a four-year term.
• Agnipath scheme conditions require them to remain unmarried during their initial four years of service.
• Maternity and Child Care Leave: Women officers in the three services currently receive 180 days of maternity leave, with the provision for an additional month of leave without pay in exceptional cases, as well as 30 days of leave in case of a miscarriage or abortion.
• Women officers are also eligible for 180 days of leave when adopting a child under one year of age. Permanent commission women officers can avail 360 days of child care leave, while short service commission women officers can take 180 days of leave.
• Inclusivity in the Armed Forces: The decision aligns with the defence minister's vision for inclusive participation of women in the Armed Forces, regardless of their ranks.
• Enhancing Work-Life Balance: The defence ministry stated that these extended leave rules will address women-specific family and social issues relevant to the Armed Forces.
• This measure aims to improve the working conditions of women in the military, facilitating a better balance between their professional and family lives.