Meghalaya’s maternity leave policy leaves contract workers unprotected

Maternity leave policies in Meghalaya differ based on employment categories, leaving many non-permanent workers without adequate benefits.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma addressed this issue in the Assembly after a question from Adelbert Nongrum. He stated that regular government employees are covered under the Meghalaya Fundamental Rules, 1984, while private-sector employees fall under the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017.

However, he acknowledged that non-permanent employees—including contractual, casual, and muster roll workers—are not covered under state maternity leave provisions.

Sangma clarified that these workers rely on protections under the 2017 amendment, but implementation remains inconsistent, especially for informal sector employees.