Karnataka extends menstrual leave to govt employees, names 13 Sept Women Employees’ Day

Karnataka has extended one day of paid menstrual leave per month to women employed in state government departments, aligning public-sector entitlements with a wider mandate issued last month for women across registered industries. The move follows a fresh government order released this week.

The state had earlier directed that women aged 18 to 52 working in permanent, contractual and outsourced roles across factories, shops and commercial establishments, plantations, beedi and cigar units, and motor transport sectors be granted one day of paid menstrual leave every month. Local media reported that the latest notification now brings government employees under the same framework with immediate effect.

Authorities empowered to sanction casual leave may approve menstrual leave without a medical certificate, the order said. Departments have been instructed to record the leave separately in attendance registers and not merge it with any other category of leave.

The revised policy comes as the Bangalore Hotels Association continues its challenge in the Karnataka High Court against the state’s November directive mandating menstrual leave in the private sector. The association has argued that the order was discriminatory because the government had not offered an equivalent benefit to its own employees, several newspapers reported.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed the criticism during an event in Bengaluru on Thursday, confirming that menstrual leave had now been approved for women in government service. He also announced that the state intends to designate 13 September as “Women Employees’ Day” to recognise women’s contribution to public administration.

Reiterating the administration’s broader focus on gender equity, Siddaramaiah said women officials were serving on a par with their male colleagues across departments. He urged employees to support efforts to improve governance and to help cultivate scientific temper in society, noting that superstition persisted despite rising literacy levels.

The Chief Minister pointed to schemes such as Shakti, which provides free bus travel for women, as part of the government’s push to reduce financial burdens and promote mobility. He emphasised that social and economic empowerment remained essential to achieving genuine equality.

With the updated leave rules now applying across both private- and public-sector workplaces, labour experts say the state’s position in the ongoing court proceedings may strengthen. Further administrative guidance is expected as departments begin implementing the new provisions in the coming weeks.