5 things you need to know about the new maternity bill passed in parliament

Women working in the organised sector will now be entitled to paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks, as Parliament passed a bill on Thursday in this regard that will benefit about 1.8 million women. Here are a few things you need to know

Workforce strength: The law to give six months of maternity leave will happen only if an organisation has workforce strength over 10 people

Six months only for first two children: The law allows six months leave for the first two children, but three months for the subsequent child

Rules of adopting and surrogate parents: The bill provides 12 weeks of maternity leave for a woman who adopts a child below three months. In the case of a commissioning mother (defined as a biological mother) who uses her egg to have a surrogate child, a 12-week period of maternity leave will be calculated from the date the child is handed over to the adoptive or commissioning mother.

Larger organisations need to have crèche facilities:  Organisations that have 50 or more employees need to provide crèche facilities within a prescribed distance. The mother will be allowed four visits to the crèche in a day.

Women can work from home: A provision has been made where an employer can permit a mother to work from home, if the nature of work assigned permits her to do so. This option can be availed of, after the period of maternity leave, for a duration that is mutually decided by the employer and the woman.