Member of Parliament Ninong Ering, has presented the Menstruation Benefit Bill, 2017 in the Parliament, which has proposed that women working in the public and private sectors get two days of paid menstrual leave every month.
The Bill also seeks to provide better facilities for rest at the workplace during menstruation.
Ering, who will be 59 soon, represents the Congress in Lok Sabha and may be on the cusp of stoking a debate on the issue within his own party. He said the Bill has been selected in the ballot and is supposed to be presented in the next private members business.
According to a research conducted at University College London and published in 2017 revealed that period pain can be as ‘bad as having a heart attack.’ “Given the biological complexity of females and the intense pain they have to suffer, they shall have the right to be entitled with leave during menstruation,” Ering said.
“In addition, women are least productive during the menstruation, especially on the first and the second days of the menstrual cycle due to unmanageable discomforts. Thus, it may not be much fruitful to the employers in terms of production. Therefore, with both the perspective of the female employees as well as the employers, Menstrual Leave is desirable,” Ering added.