90 days maternity leave announced for women guest lecturers in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a major welfare measure for women working in higher education institutions by granting 90 days of maternity leave for women guest lecturers in the state.

The announcement was made while presenting the Karnataka Budget 2026–27 in the Assembly on Friday. According to the Chief Minister, the maternity leave facility will be applicable to women guest lecturers working in government first grade colleges, polytechnic institutions and engineering colleges across the state.

The new policy will come into effect from the next academic year. The move is expected to benefit thousands of women guest lecturers who have long been seeking maternity leave benefits similar to those available to permanent faculty members.

Until now, many guest lecturers faced uncertainty regarding maternity leave as there was no clearly defined policy addressing their needs. Announcing the decision in his budget speech, Siddaramaiah said the government recognized the challenges faced by women working on a contractual or guest basis in educational institutions.

The new provision is intended to support women during pregnancy and help them continue their careers without facing job insecurity. Officials said the policy would enable women guest lecturers to balance professional responsibilities with family commitments.

The government believes the initiative will improve working conditions in the higher education sector and encourage more women to pursue teaching careers. Apart from the maternity leave announcement, the Chief Minister also spoke about financial support initiatives for female students pursuing higher education.

He said scholarship programmes aimed at encouraging girls to continue education would be strengthened. Under an initiative supported by the Azim Premji Foundation, around 37,000 girl students are currently receiving an annual scholarship of ₹30,000 for higher education during the 2025–26 academic year.

To support students who are not covered under this programme, the state government will introduce financial assistance through the Deepika Scholarship Scheme aimed at helping more girls pursue higher education without financial barriers.

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