📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Amitabha Gupta
Jobs & Career
Maternity Benefit Act Extends Coverage to Casual and Daily‑Wage Workers
✍️ Verdictum
🗓 29 Oct 2026, 01:50 AM
👁 13
A recent legal clarification confirms that women employed on casual, daily‑wage or guest contracts are eligible for maternity benefits under the Act.
A legal opinion published on Verdictum clarifies that the Maternity Benefit Act does not exclude workers hired on a casual, daily‑wage or guest basis. The interpretation affirms that such employees are entitled to the same maternity protections as those on regular contracts.
The Act guarantees up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, along with medical allowance and job security, for all eligible female workers. The clarification means that employers cannot deny these benefits merely because the employee’s engagement is non‑permanent.
Employers in the informal sector are now required to register casual and daily‑wage workers under the Act and ensure compliance. The ruling is expected to broaden social security coverage for millions of women in low‑skill and gig‑economy jobs.
Legal experts say the decision aligns with recent amendments aimed at strengthening labour rights and reducing gender‑based disparities in the workplace.
The Act guarantees up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, along with medical allowance and job security, for all eligible female workers. The clarification means that employers cannot deny these benefits merely because the employee’s engagement is non‑permanent.
Employers in the informal sector are now required to register casual and daily‑wage workers under the Act and ensure compliance. The ruling is expected to broaden social security coverage for millions of women in low‑skill and gig‑economy jobs.
Legal experts say the decision aligns with recent amendments aimed at strengthening labour rights and reducing gender‑based disparities in the workplace.