1. (1) This Act may be called the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017.
(2) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification
in the Official Gazette, appoint :
Provided that difTerent dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act and
any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Act shall be construed as
a reference to the coming into force of that provision.
2. In the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act), in
section 3, after clause (b), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:-
'(ba) "commissioning mother" means a biological mother who uses her egg to
create an embryo implanted in any other woman;'.
3. In the principal Act, in section 5,-
(A) in sub-section (3)-
(i) for the words "twelve weeks of which not more than six weeks", the
Short title and
commencement.
Amendment
of section 3.
Amendment
of section 5.
insertion of
new section
I lA.
Creche
facility.
2 THE GAZETTE OF INDIAEXTRAORDINARY [PARTII-SEC. 11
words "twenty-six weeks of which not more than eight weeks" shall be substituted;
(ii) after sub-section (3) and before the first proviso, the following proviso
shall be inserted, namely:-
"Provided that the maximum period entitled to maternity benefit by
a woman having two or more than two surviving children shall be twelve
weeks of which not more than six weeks shall precede the date of her
expected delivery;'':
(iii) in the first proviso, for the words ''Provided that", the words "Provided
further that" shall be substituted;
(iv) in the second proviso, for the words ''Provided further that", the
words "Provided also that" shall be substituted;
(B) after sub-section (3), the following sub-sections shall be inserted, namely:-
"(4)A woman who legally adopts a child below the age of three months or
a commissioning mother shall be entitled to maternity benefit f()r a period of
twelve weeks from the date the child is handed over to the adopting mother or
the commissioning mother, as the case may be.
(5) In case where the nature of work assigned to a woman is of such nature
that she may work from home, the employer may allow her to do so after availing
of the maternity benefit for such period and on such conditions as the employer
and the woman may mutually agree.".
~. In the principal Act, after section 11, the following section shall be inserted, name! y:-
"11A. ( 1) Every establishment having fifty or more employees shall have the
facility of creche within such distance as may be prescribed, either separately or along
with common facilities :
Provided that the employer shall allow four visits a day to the creche by the
woman, which shall also include the interval for rest allowed to her.
(2) Every establishment shall intimate in writing and electronically to every
woman at the time of her initial appointment regarding every benefit available under
the Act.".