The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 raised the period of paid maternity leave to how many weeks?
- A.Twelve weeks
- B.Eighteen weeks
- C.Twenty-six weeks
- D.Thirty-two weeks
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, twenty-six weeks. The amendment of 2017 raised paid maternity leave for women in establishments covered by the Maternity Benefit Act from twelve weeks to twenty-six weeks for the first two children, and it also provided for a creche facility in establishments above a prescribed size and for work from home where the nature of work allows it. Option A, twelve weeks, was the position before the amendment and remains the entitlement for a woman with two or more surviving children. Option B, eighteen weeks, corresponds to no provision of the Act. Option D, thirty-two weeks, is also wrong; candidates sometimes confuse the figure with the longer leave allowed in some state government services and under separate rules. The amendment applies to establishments covered by the Act, which is why it reaches the organised sector rather than every working woman.
Read the full article: Schemes for Women and Children: Notes and PYQs
Practice Questions
View allThe Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched in January 2015 from which place?
- A.Panipat, Haryana
- B.Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan
- C.Ballia, Uttar Pradesh
- D.Vadodara, Gujarat
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The scheme was launched on 22 January 2015 from Panipat because Haryana had one of the lowest child sex ratios in the country in the Census of 2011, and the launch was meant to carry the message from the worst affected region.
Read the full explanation →A Sukanya Samriddhi account can be opened in the name of a girl child before she completes which age?
- A.Five years
- B.Eight years
- C.Ten years
- D.Fourteen years
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Under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, launched on 22 January 2015, a parent or legal guardian may open the account for a girl at any time before she completes the age of ten years, for a maximum of two girls in one family, and the account matures twenty-one years after it…
Read the full explanation →The Integrated Child Development Services scheme, which runs the anganwadi system, was launched in which year?
- A.1975
- B.1985
- C.1995
- D.2005
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The scheme was launched on 2 October 1975 and is the oldest and largest programme for children in India, delivering supplementary nutrition, pre-school education, immunisation, health check-ups, referral services and health education for mothers through anganwadi centres.
Read the full explanation →Under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, what cash incentive is paid to an eligible woman for her first living child?
- A.Two thousand rupees
- B.Five thousand rupees
- C.Ten thousand rupees
- D.Twelve thousand rupees
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The scheme, which began on 1 January 2017 and is run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, pays this amount in instalments on conditions such as early registration of pregnancy and immunisation of the child, as partial compensation for the wages a woman loses during pregnancy and after…
Read the full explanation →The Stree Manoraksha project aimed at extending mental health training to 6000 One Stop Centre functionaries across India was launched by whom in March 2022?
- A.Amit Shah
- B.Smriti Zubin Irani
- C.Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya
- D.Narendra Modi
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The project was launched in March 2022 by the Minister of Women and Child Development, who then held that office, in collaboration with the national mental health institute at Bengaluru, to train the staff of One Stop Centres in handling the mental health needs of women affected by violence.
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