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Find out all about maternity rules right here.

1. No employer shall knowingly employ a woman during the six weeks immediately following the day of her delivery or miscarriage and no woman shall work in any establishment during this period.

2. If a pregnant woman makes a request, her employer should not, for a period of one month and six weeks before her date of delivery, make her do any work of arduous nature or which requires long hours of standing, or which in any way is likely to interfere with her pregnancy or normal development of the foetus or cause her miscarriage or adversely affect her health.

3. A woman who has worked in an establishment for a period of not less than 160 days, can claim and is entitled to maternity benefits at the rate of her average daily wages, or one rupee a day, whichever is higher, for the period of her absence not exceeding six weeks immediately preceding and including the day of her delivery and for the six weeks immediately following that day.

4. If a woman dies during the period for which maternity benefit is payable to her, the benefit shall be payable only for the days up to and including the day of her death.

5. Every woman entitled to maternity benefit shall also be entitled for a medical bonus of twenty-five rupees, if the employer does not provide for prenatal confinement or postnatal care, free of charge.

6. If a woman absents herself from work in accordance with these rules, it shall be unlawful of her employer to discharge or dismiss her during or on account of such absence, or to vary, to her disadvantage, any of the conditions of her service.

7. A woman suffering from illness arising out of pregnancy, delivery, premature birth of child, or miscarriage shall, on production of a certificate be entitled to leave with wages at the rate of maternity benefit for a maximum period of one month, in addition to the period of absence allowed to her on account of maternity/miscarriage, as the case may be.

8. Every woman who returns to duty after the delivery of her child shall, in addition to the interval of rest allowed to her, be allowed two breaks of 15 minutes duration for nursing the child, until the child attains the age of 15 months.