No National Law Yet: How Period Leave Is Being Implemented Across India

Although there is no uniform rule across the country, several states in India have taken significant steps to facilitate female employees and students:

Bihar: When it comes to period leave, Bihar is at the forefront. This policy has been in place in this state since 1992. Under this policy, female government employees in Bihar are granted two days of period leave every month.

Karnataka: Karnataka has taken a historic step in this direction. In 2025, Karnataka will become the first state in the country to make period leave mandatory for women working in both the government and private sectors. Women here have been granted one day of leave every month.

Odisha: The Odisha government has also recently implemented this facility for the benefit of women employees. From 2024, female government employees in the state will be entitled to one day of leave every month.

Kerala: The Kerala government has gone a step further than working women and has also enacted regulations for female students. For female students in colleges and universities across Kerala, this leave will be given every month from 2023 onwards. Another major respite will be the reduction in the percentage of attendance to appear for the exams from 75% to 73% for female students.

Not only state governments, but many private companies are also providing this benefit to female employees. There are already many large companies across the country that are providing monthly leave to their female employees. These include Zomato, Swiggy, and Larsen & Toubro.

In summary, though this benefit has not yet been given to female employees across the country in India, the steps taken by these state governments and companies are helping female employees and female students.