India's Karnataka state approves paid monthly menstrual leave for public, private employees

BENGALURU, Oct 9 (Reuters) - India's Karnataka state, home to the country's Silicon Valley, on Thursday approved a plan that grants one day of paid menstrual leave per month to women employees working in government offices and private sector companies, including IT firms.

While menstrual leave policies are not new in India, with states such as Bihar and Kerala already implementing something similar, Karnataka's move is significant, given its large female workforce, particularly in Bengaluru's expansive IT and industrial sectors.

Karnataka boasts one of the highest female labor force participation rates in India, with 31.5%, public policy firm Institute for What Works to Advance Gender Equality said in a report, citing the government's Periodic Labour Force Survey.

The state capital Bengaluru is home to about 14 million people and hosts thousands of Indian startups and multinational companies, including Walmart WMT.N and Alphabet's Google GOOGL.O. Indian tech giants Infosys INFY.NS and Wipro WIPR.NS also have major operations in the city.

"With the introduction of menstrual leave policy, all sectors employing women will have a policy to provide one day of paid leave per month to women employees for their health," the state government said in its order.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described the policy as a step toward creating a more humane, understanding and inclusive workplace.