The Ministry of Women and Child Development has finally set up national guidelines for creches under the Maternity Benefit Act. This move comes in the wake of deliberation between state governments following a 2017 notification by the Ministry of Labour and Employment which urged respective state governments to frame guidelines for employers in this regard under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961.
By means of an amendment to the MB Act, in 2017, establishments having 50 or more employees were directed to have a creche within the prescribed distance, says a report by Live Law. However, clarity is yet to be sought over several key points, the most prominent of them being who out of the employer and the employee would bear the cost of the creche facility.
However, the guidelines cover areas such as the age of children to be admitted to the creche, its distance from the office of the employer, timings, space and human resources among others. Private companies, government offices, and other establishments which fall under the purview of the MB Act will now have to use these norms as a point of reference while setting up a creche facility for the children of their employees.
Sources: Times Now