In what can be described as a progressive step benefitting employees and also encouraging adoption, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will now allow adoptive mothers to avail of maternity leave of 180 days. This brings the adoptive mother and the biological mother at par.

Before this, the adoptive parents were allowed to avail of their leave which fell under other categories and in case the mother already had two children, she was not allowed to use this facility.

On November 17, the Managing Director of KSRTC, Shivayogi C Kalasad passed the order which permits six-month leave which can be availed within the first year of adoption or before the child turns one, whichever comes first.

The order by the State Corporation is in keeping with the State Government’s of February 2020, which laid down that adoptive parents could avail of maternity leaves of 180 days and paternity leave of 15 days.

For an adoptive mother to be treated on par with biological mothers is an important step in itself and a progressive one, which staffers welcomed widely.

Talking to news18.com, a staff member who did not want to be named said: “I lost this maternity leave benefit when I adopted a child a year ago. I had a very hard time making time for my baby. I used up all my pending leaves and even opted for leave without pay. At least this new order will prove beneficial for future mothers. This definitely was high time that something like this came up.”

The department officials hoped that this step will help the adoptive mother to bond with her child.

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