Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to bring in a legislation to provide one day paid leave every month for women employees across the sectors, during their menstrual periods.
Karnataka Labour Minister Santhosh Lad, who made the proposal in the Cabinet meeting on Thursday said that the bill will be applicable to all the women working both in private and public sectors.
Stating that this was the first of its kind in the country, the government, in 2024, had proposed six menstrual leaves per year. ``However, it does not serve the purpose. I am aware of the physical pain and mental stress that every woman goes through during this time. Nowadays, women are working in every field and in fields like garment industries, 90% of employees are women. This new legislation should help such hardworking women,'' he said.
The neighbouring Kerala has introduced two days of menstrual leave for female trainees of Industrial Training Institutes. In Bihar and Odisha, there is a 12-day annual menstrual leave policy, but it is applicable only for their state government employees.
Karnataka labour department has sought administrative approval for Menstrual Leave Policy, 2025, to sanction one day paid leave for all women employees working across all sectors within the state, including government offices, various private industries like garment factories, multinational companies, IT and other companies that are operating within the state.
