Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s government has announced that female state government employees having a third child will be entitled to 365 days of maternity leave, significantly increasing the existing 12-week benefit.

Tamil Nadu Human Resources Management Minister D. Sarathkumar announced the decision in the state Assembly, describing it as part of the Vijay administration’s focus on social welfare and women’s empowerment.

Under the existing system, eligible female government employees with fewer than two surviving children can receive up to 365 days of maternity leave. Employees with two or more surviving children have been entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave with full pay.

The new policy will extend the one-year maternity leave benefit to government employees giving birth to a third child.

A detailed government order implementing the decision is expected to be issued shortly, according to Indian media reports.

Tamil Nadu has progressively expanded maternity leave for government employees, increasing it from 90 days to six months in 2011, nine months in 2016 and 365 days in 2021.

The latest announcement comes amid discussion over support for working mothers after TVK legislator R. Pallavi brought her newborn child to the Tamil Nadu Assembly during its ongoing session. Pallavi was elected from Chennai’s Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar constituency in the 2026 Assembly election.