Suggestions on the Draft Creche Rules of the Labour Department, Government of Karnataka, under Section 28 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
Highlighting shortcomings in the draft crèche rules under the Maternity Benefits Act proposed by the state government
Summary: In response to the draft Creche Rules of the Karnataka Government, Vidhi submitted suggestions to increase accessibility, make them inclusive for children with special needs, and ensure quality of service provided by creches.
Vidhi – Karnataka submitted suggestions and objections to the draft Creche Rules released by the Labour Department, Government of Karnataka, under Section 28 of the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. The draft Rules were released in furtherance of Section 11A of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, which makes mandatory provision for creche facilities in all establishments having 50 or more employees.
Vidhi has made suggestions to address the following concerns, which were dealt with unsatisfactorily under the draft rules: 1. ensure accessibility of crèche facilities by every woman employee; 2. provide for inclusiveness of children with special needs; and 3. ensure quality of amenities in crèche as per the standards laid down in the National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy.
About the Authors
Deepika Kinhal is a Senior Resident Fellow and team lead for the JALDI (Justice, Access and Lowering Delays in India) initiative at Vidhi which focuses on judicial reforms. She has authored several data-driven research reports seeking to understand systemic issues that plague India’s justice delivery systems. She is now working towards translating the research findings into tangible solutions through interdisciplinary collaborations. Under the aegis of JALDI Innovation Lab, she is leading her team on projects at the intersection of law and other disciplines such as technology, management and design. Deepika has been a part of expert committees constituted by the eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India and NITI Aayog to design a roadmap to improve justice delivery through technology. She has also lead engagements with multiple High Courts aimed at improving their case and court management systems, and has appeared before Parliamentary Standing Committees on Mediation Bill and Judicial Impact Assessment. Deepika graduated from NLSIU, Bengaluru in 2012. Before joining Vidhi, she practiced as a civil-commercial lawyer in Karnataka with Dua Associates, and as a real-estate and capital markets lawyer at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Deepika is trained in Carnatic classical music and has performed for All India Radio and a Kannada movie