Archive · 3 Oct 2026
NCW Proposes Gender-Neutral Childcare Leave and Five Lakh Creche Seats
The National Commission for Women has suggested 37 ways to improve care for parents and children.
It wants both parents to be able to take child care leave.
One proposal divides 730 days of leave equally between two working parents, while another allows them to share a pool.
The commission also recommends paid paternity leave across sectors.
It wants five lakh creche seats created by 2030.
It says maternity and childcare protections should reach informal and gig workers too.
Other ideas include more nursing breaks and dedicated lactation rooms at work.
These are recommendations for the government, not changes already in force.
The National Commission for Women submitted 37 recommendations to three Union government departments.
It proposes making child care leave gender-neutral, with 365 days allocated to each working parent or a shared pool.
The recommendations call for mandatory paid paternity leave and phased private-sector access to child care leave.
The NCW proposes a National Childcare Infrastructure Mission to create five lakh creche seats by 2030.
Other proposals include extending protections to informal workers, improving lactation support and strengthening enforcement against workplace discrimination.
- Who
- The National Commission for Women (NCW).
- What
- It submitted 37 recommendations on maternity and childcare protection.
- When
- The report was reported on October 3; the National Consultation informing the recommendations was held on May 5.
- Where
- New Delhi; the report was submitted to Union government departments.
- Why
- To promote shared caregiving, broaden maternity and childcare protection, and reduce the career costs of parenthood for women.
- Recommendations
- 37 proposals across nine key areas
- Submitted to
- The Department of Personnel and Training, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment
- Existing CCL structure
- The proposal discusses dividing the existing 730-day structure equally between working parents, with 365 days each, or using a common pool
- Creche target
- Five lakh creche seats by 2030
- Children aged 0–2
- A proposed shared-care model allocates care 60:40 between primary and secondary caregivers
- Adoptive and commissioning mothers
- Proposed maternity leave increase from 12 weeks to 26 weeks
- Nursing breaks
- The NCW proposes increasing the existing break from 15 minutes to 30 minutes each
- Informal workforce
- The report says over 90 per cent of women workers remain outside effective coverage