Question 69 from UPSC CSE 2019 - Current Affairs

Question

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017?
1. Pregnant women are entitled to three months preâdelivery and three months postâdelivery paid leave.
2. Enterprises with creches must allow the mother minimum six creche visits daily.
3. Women with two children get reduced entitlements.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. 3 only

Strategy: Focus on quantitative details; the Act mentions 26 weeks' paid leave, not a split three months each pre- and post-delivery as in statement 1. For statement 2, the wording exaggerates—law allows 4, not 6, daily creche visits. Statement 3 about reduced entitlements for women with two children matches the Act, so only statement 3 is accurate.

Key Info: The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 amended the original 1961 Act. It increased paid maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks for women having fewer than two surviving children. Women having two or more children are entitled to 12 weeks' maternity leave. The Act mandates establishments with 50 or more employees to provide creche facilities, permitting women up to four visits per day to the creche during work hours. The Act also extends 12 weeks of maternity leave to adoptive and commissioning mothers for children below three months. The law covers all establishments employing 10 or more employees. Employers must inform female employees of their rights at the time of appointment. Maternity leave entails full payment based on the average daily wage for the period of actual absence.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: 1 and 2 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: 2 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: 1, 2, and 3