KATHMANDU, April 23: The Federal Civil Service Bill now includes provisions for maternity leave for female employees during pregnancy.
This proposal for maternity leave was advanced by Dr Chanda Karki Bhattarai, a member of parliament from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and has been incorporated into the Federal Civil Service Bill currently in the State Affairs Committee.
Pregnancy from man’s perspective
According to Nepali Congress MP Dilendra Prasad Badu, an agreement has been reached on providing leave for women after pregnancy. He said that the provision will be made to grant such leave by deducting it from the maternity leave granted after childbirth.
The Civil Service Regulations provide that female civil servants can take 98 days of maternity leave, including both pre and post-delivery periods, if they are pregnant.
According to this provision, female civil servants, who take maternity leave, can also avail of an additional six months of unpaid maternity leave without any deduction from other types of leave, if they wish. However, the leave must be taken consecutively.
Furthermore, civil servants who are granted maternity and maternity care leave will receive a one-time child care allowance of Rs 5,000 per child for up to two children.
