Shillong: Labour Commissioner Banteilang Kharshandi warned that women face a massive hurdle in claiming workplace protections. He spoke Thursday at a capacity building session in the Shillong One Stop Centre. He wants workers to understand the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961. Knowledge is power. Officials must make sure women know how to access their legal rights.
The 1961 law protects women from pregnancy through the postnatal period. It shields workers from hazardous jobs and bans employers from firing them during leave. Women with fewer than two surviving children get 26 weeks off. Those with two or more get 12 weeks. The law also covers miscarriages, medical termination, tubectomy, and nursing breaks. It mandates crèche facilities in certain workplaces.
Kharshandi noted that Meghalaya adopted its rules in 1965 and updated them in 2017. Four new labour codes from 2020 are pending state implementation. The Law Department is currently reviewing the state's draft rules. Cabinet approval comes next. "There is a need for wider awareness of maternity benefits and other labour entitlements so that women avail of them and can approach the appropriate authorities when their rights are denied," Kharshandi said.
Journalist Patricia Mukhim demanded more action from civil society. She warned that laws often stay stuck on paper. Mukhim pointed to workplace bias against women of reproductive age. She also challenged the myth that Meghalaya’s matrilineal structure guarantees equality. Women need stronger organizations to demand accountability, she said. Schools must push gender sensitization to fix these gaps.
The event featured sessions on survivor-centric care, legal documentation, and domestic violence laws. Experts covered everything from ethics to burnout. Trainers included Apphira Kharkongor, Joy Grace Syiem, and Jasmine Lyngdoh. Emidaki Kharshandy explained how police, hospitals, and legal services should work together. The Meghalaya State Commission for Women organized the event with National Commission for Women support.
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