Menstrual Leave

Karnataka's new policy granting one day of paid menstrual leave every month to all women employed in the formal sector is, on the surface, a modest administrative step.

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Yet it has landed with the weight of a cultural intervention. In a country where menstruation remains shrouded in silence ~ and often wrapped discreetly in old newspaper sheets ~ any policy that names the subject openly challenges a generations-old discomfort.

By extending the provision to private companies and all categories of formal work, Karnataka has done what no Indian state has attempted before: universalise menstrual leave within the organised economy.

It is neither tokenism nor a symbolic gesture. For lakhs of women, especially those in garment factories and other labour-intensive sectors with limited leave entitlements, this small allowance could mean the difference between working through severe pain or taking a sanctioned day off without fear of wage loss.