The Odisha government on Thursday said that women working in both private and government jobs will be granted one-day menstrual leave, The Indian Express reported.
It has become the third state after Kerala and Bihar to introduce such a policy.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida made the announcement at an event to celebrate Independence Day at Cuttack.
“Earlier menstrual leave was not allowed,” Parida said. “Now, it would be optional for the working women to avail leave on the first or second day of the menstrual cycle. It will be applied for both the government and private sector employees.”
The state government's women and child development department will soon release detailed guidelines on implementing menstrual leave, The Indian Express quoted unidentified official sources as saying.
On July 8, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to frame a model policy on menstrual leave for women workers after consulting states and other stakeholders in the matter. The court, however, refrained from ordering such a policy to be implemented, saying that it was for the government to decide on it.
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