‘Menstruation not a handicap’: Smriti Irani opposes paid leave policy

Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has expressed her disagreement with the proposal of compulsory paid menstrual leave for women employees. As a menstruating woman, menstruation and the menstruation cycle is not a handicap, it’s a natural part of women’s life journey, Irani said.

In response to a query from MP Manoj Kumar Jha in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Minister Smriti Irani conveyed that menstruation is a natural part of life and shouldn't be treated as a handicap requiring special leave provisions. We should not propose issues where women are denied equal opportunities just because somebody who does not menstruate has a particular viewpoint towards menstruation.

Last week, Irani, in response to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's question, had told Lok Sabha that there was no proposal made under the consideration of the government to make provision for paid menstrual leave mandatory for all workplaces.

A small proportion of women/ girls suffer from severe dysmenorrhea or similar complaints, and most of these cases are manageable by medication, she said in a written response on Wednesday that was submitted in the upper house.