Key Details
The National Commission for Women’s (NCW) Recommendatory Report on Laws Relating to Maternity and Child Care sets out 37 recommendations across nine areas. Its proposals link leave, childcare services and workplace protection rather than treating them as separate benefits.
Proposal | What NCW Recommends |
|---|---|
Shared Child Care Leave | Make the existing 730-day framework gender-neutral, with 365 days for each working parent, or a common pool where both work in the same organisation. |
Private-sector leave | Extend Child Care Leave in phases, beginning with large industries and then covering medium and small enterprises. |
Paid paternity leave | Establish a statutory entitlement across the private and unorganised sectors. |
Crèche capacity | Create five lakh seats by 2030 through a proposed National Childcare Infrastructure Mission. |
Wider maternity protection | Extend support to informal, gig and platform workers; increase leave for adoptive and commissioning mothers from 12 to 26 weeks. |
Childcare Leave Would Become a Responsibility Shared by Parents
NCW’s central proposal is to move Child Care Leave (CCL) beyond its existing women-centred framework. Dividing 730 days between two working parents would give fathers a defined caregiving role without increasing the total leave in that model. The Commission also suggests a 60:40 sharing arrangement between primary and secondary caregivers when a child is aged up to two.
For this to reach beyond public employment, NCW proposes adding private-sector CCL to the Code on Social Security, 2020. Its phased approach recognises that smaller employers may need different financing arrangements from large firms.
Protection Would Extend Beyond Formal Salaried Jobs
The recommendations seek maternity and childcare support for informal, gig and platform workers, who may not be reached by workplace-based benefits. NCW proposes a dedicated Maternity and Childcare Fund supported by government and employers, and calls for the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana to become a universal, legally enforceable entitlement.
It also seeks parity for adoptive and commissioning mothers by proposing 26 weeks of leave. These changes would require government decisions and, where applicable, changes to law or rules.
Crèche Access and Career Progression Are Part of the Same Proposal
NCW proposes five lakh crèche seats — not five lakh crèches — by 2030. Employers could meet childcare requirements through on-site facilities, shared or cluster-based crèches, or contributions to a State Childcare Fund, subject to standards.
The recommendations also address what happens after a parent returns to work: longer nursing breaks, lactation rooms, stronger grievance processes and safeguards against childcare-related discrimination in hiring, promotion, pay and pensions. NCW’s argument is that leave alone cannot prevent parenthood from becoming a career penalty if care remains unavailable or taking leave damages progression.
Policy Relevance
The proposals would require choices about who pays and who is covered. A leave entitlement tied only to conventional employment would leave much of the informal workforce outside it; extending obligations to smaller firms without workable funding could make compliance difficult. Shared crèches and pooled financing are therefore substantive parts of NCW’s proposal, not merely delivery details.
The second test is whether fathers can use leave and mothers can return to work without a penalty. Enacting entitlements would be one step; tracking uptake by gender, sector and employer size — and examining career outcomes — would show whether the intended shift in caregiving actually occurs.
Follow the Full Report Here: NCW’S Recommendations to Union Government : Extend Gender Neutral Child Care Leave to Private Sector, Mandatory Paid Paternity Leave, 5 Lakhs Creches By 2030