Govt employees to get six-month maternity, child care leave for surrogacy

The Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972, underwent significant updates. The revised rules granted commissioning mothers who opted for surrogacy 180 days of maternity leave. This change extended childcare leave to commissioning mothers with fewer than two surviving children. Additionally, commissioning fathers received 15 days of paternity leave within six months of the child’s delivery date. The amendments defined a surrogate mother as the woman bearing the child for the commissioning mother and the commissioning father as the intended father of the child born through surrogacy4. The rules also allowed commissioning mothers with fewer than two surviving children to avail of childcare leave. Furthermore, the Centre revised the Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules of 2022, permitting married couples to use donor eggs or sperm when one partner faces a medical condition, confirmed by the District Medical Board.