The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 Effective Date Released

Another one faced following,
I m currently on maternity leave which will be exhausted on 25th April 2017 as per 12 weeks maternity leave policy.
But as per the new maternity leave policy those who are on maternity leave as on 1st April 2017 are eligible for the extended (26 weeks) leave benefit.I have spoken with my HR and also shared the circular issued by the labour ministry regarding the same but the HR said that the extended leave policy is applicable only after 1st April 2017.So kindly suggest what should be done now.

Dear KirtiBeAware,
Pls refer the attachment (The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act,2017 -Clarifications) shared by Mr. Korgaonkar Ji in the previous comment, The clarification point no. 2 gives you the answer.

Thank you, Sir.
But the employers are giving these reasons waiting for Government order etc.
What can a women employee do in such a case?

Hi Kirti,
All the attachments shared here are considered as Gazette Notification/ Circular issued by government of India and is applicable to all organizations.
For claiming maternity benefit employee have to serve notice under section 6 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 in the format as prescribed in the State Rules along with the certificate of the doctor regarding pregnancy to their employer before going on leave. If employer refuse to provide the extended leave which they are eligible during the maternity, they can directly approach near by Labor Inspector/Commissioner with all the eligibility documents or they can inform company HR that, they are approaching the Labor Inspector/Commissioner for further help - this may help them to get the benefit as imposed in the notifications.

Crèche facility: Every establishment with more than 50 employees to provide for crèche facilities for working mothers and such mothers will be permitted to make four visits during working hours to look after and feed the child in the crèche, which shall also include the interval for rest allowed to her.
50 Employees means only female or male plus female?