The Odisha government has announced that women employees will receive an additional 12 days of casual leave annually, in addition to the existing 15 days. This decision follows Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida's announcement on Independence Day, which granted women employees a paid menstrual leave of one day per month, according to an official statement from the Chief Minister's Office.
The previous BJD government had granted women an additional 10 days of casual leave since March this year, citing the need to consider family responsibilities and the various challenges faced by women.
"All the women employees of Odisha government can avail the additional CLs annually apart from the 15 days they get currently," the official note said on Tuesday. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi issued directions regarding this.
With the new announcement, women employees will now have a total of 27 days of casual leave, compared to 15 days for their male counterparts.