Tamil Nadu CM Vijay announces 365 days maternity leave for third child to boost population growth

The Tamil Nadu government, led by Chief Minister Vijay, on Wednesday announced a series of welfare measures, including extending maternity leave for women state government employees for the birth of a third child from 12 weeks to 365 days. The revised benefit brings the leave available for a third child in line with the 365-day entitlement for the first two children.

The announcement follows a statement made by Human Resources Management Minister D Sarathkumar in the state Assembly on Tuesday during the demand for grants for his department. Sarathkumar said the decision was in keeping with the government's focus on social welfare and women's empowerment.

Third-child maternity leave extended

Under the existing framework, married women government employees with fewer than two surviving children are entitled to 365 days of maternity leave. Employees with two or more surviving children currently receive up to 12 weeks, or 84 days, of maternity leave with full pay.


Explaining the change in the Assembly, Sarathkumar said, "Under these circumstances, as the Tamil Nadu government is a welfare-oriented administration prioritising social welfare and women's empowerment, the maternity leave currently provided for the third child of female government employees will be enhanced from 12 weeks to 365 days".

A government source said the 365-day benefit under the standard eligibility framework applies to regular female employees with fewer than two surviving children.

How Tamil Nadu expanded maternity leave

The state's maternity leave entitlement has increased in stages over the years. The original 90-day provision was raised to six months in 2011 and then to nine months in 2016. In July 2021, it was extended to one year, or 365 days.

The successive changes were made under governments led by both the AIADMK and the DMK.

However, following directives from the Apex Court and subsequent amendments by the state, women government employees with two or more surviving children continued to be eligible for 12 weeks of maternity leave with full pay.

Tamil Nadu's declining fertility rate

The policy change comes as Tamil Nadu faces a sustained decline in fertility and a growing ageing population. The state's total fertility rate is about 1.3 children per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain the population.

Tamil Nadu's fertility rate stood at 3.9 in 1971 before declining to 2.7 in 1986 and 1.6 in 2017.

With fewer children being born and life expectancy increasing, Tamil Nadu is becoming an actively ageing state. The state's population was estimated at 7.2 crore in 2011 and is projected to reach around 7.8 crore by the early 2030s before declining thereafter if the fertility rate does not increase.