Overview
- An order issued on December 2 grants one paid menstrual day each month to women aged 18–52 working in Karnataka government offices, effective immediately.
- No medical certificate is required, the leave must be recorded separately, it cannot be combined with other leave, and it must be used within the same month.
- The extension follows a November directive requiring one paid menstrual day monthly for women in establishments covered by the Factories, Shops and Commercial Establishments, Plantation, Beedi and Cigar Workers, and Motor Transport Workers Acts.
- The Bengaluru Hotels Association has petitioned the Karnataka High Court arguing such leave is an internal employer matter and discriminatory; the case is expected to be listed before Justice Jyoti Moolimani.
- Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar publicly backed the policy, while reporting notes coverage estimates of roughly 3.5–4 lakh women in the formal sector and ongoing gaps for informal workers.