The order also mentioned that women don’t have to submit any medical certificate while availing the leave.
Published Nov 13, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 13, 2025 | 7:00 AM
Karnataka menstrual leave. Representative Image. (iStock)
Synopsis: As per the conditions laid down in the GO, the leave must be availed in that specific month and cannot be carried over to the next month. The order also mentioned that women don’t have to submit any medical certificate while availing the leave.
The Karnataka labour department on Wednesday, 12 November notified the new menstrual leave policy, mandating employers to provide 12 days of paid menstrual leave per year (one leave per month).
The order by the state labour department applies to all permanent, contract and outsourced women employees between the age group of 18 and 52 working in all industries and establishments registered under the Factories Act, 1948, Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, Garden Workers Act, 1951, Beedi and Cigar Workers (Employment and Conditions) Act, 1966, and Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961.
As per the conditions laid down in the GO, the leave must be availed in that specific month and cannot be carried over to the next month. The order also mentioned that women don’t have to submit any medical certificate while availing the leave.
The proposal, first mooted in 2024, provided for six days of paid menstrual leave annually for working women, but the Labour Department later revised it to one day per month.
“It is the most progressive new law that we have brought. Women can take as many as 12 sanctioned leaves in a year, once a month or all at once, whatever they choose as per their menstrual cycle,” Labour Minister Santosh Lad said in October, speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting.
“It is a feather in the cap of a progressive government which thinks for the welfare of women and considers the roles she has to play.”
Siddaramaiah called the decision a step towards “a more humane, understanding, and inclusive workplace.”
Earlier, the Labour Department of Karnataka sought the opinion of the state’s Department of Women and Child Development on providing menstrual leave for women workers in garment industries, private companies, and MNCs.
In response, the department highlighted the growing prominence of women across economic sectors.
“In recent times, women are working in various jobs and becoming economically independent, along with contributing to the economic progress of the country. Women of different age groups are getting good education, are working in MNCs. Other women are working locally in the unorganised sector, small enterprises, and garment industries,” it said.
The department also acknowledged that menstruating women face physical demands, with some experiencing extreme pain due to conditions like dysmenorrhea.
“In such cases, working women face severe difficulties in travelling to and from work and performing work duties as well,” it noted.
Hence, the WCD considered it appropriate to provide one day of paid leave per month during the menstrual cycle for women up to the age of 55 years. The leave will be monitored separately, the department added.
The policy follows the Karnataka government’s 2024 decision to set up an 18-member committee, headed by Sapna Mohan, Associate Dean at the School of Law, Christ University, to study and recommend the feasibility of implementing such a policy across all sectors in the state.
The committee recommended one day of menstrual leave a month and also called for the state legislature to pass The Right of Women to Menstrual Leave and Free Access to Menstrual Health Products Bill.
A similar demand was made by the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) in December 2024. The union, in a memorandum to the state Labour Commissioner, urged the government to introduce a 12-day annual menstrual leave policy for all women employees.
Government officials stated that Karnataka is the only state to provide 12 paid leaves a year to women across all sectors as part of its menstrual leave policy.
While Kerala provides menstrual leave of two days for female students in Industrial Training Institutes, Bihar extends these leaves to government employees, including contract workers. Odisha also provides one paid leave per month for women employees working in government jobs.
