The Sikkim government on Friday extended maternity leave to temporary staff from six months to one year on a par with regular employees as a part of its larger initiative to increase the fertility rate in the state.

A notification issued by the department of personnel also said the paternity leave for temporary employees would be extended from 15 days to 30 days on a par with their colleagues working on a regular basis.

“The admissibility of above Maternity/Paternity Leave is subject to (the) condition that the period of leave so granted shall not in any case exceed the term of appointment of the temporary employee,” the notice said.

The notification was issued immediately after chief minister P. S. Tamang (Golay) early Friday morning announced the government’s decision on his Facebook page.

The government’s decision comes after howls of protest greeted the state education department’s notification issued on Tuesday quoting a clarification issued by the department of personnel that the temporary employees would not be entitled to extended maternity and paternity leave.

To buck the trend of the declining fertility rate, the chief minister had on January 3 announced that his government would provide incentives to Sikkimese mothers willing to bear more than two children

According to the National Family Health Survey 2019- 2021, Sikkim’s fertility rate is the lowest in the country. From the fertility rate of 2.01 in 2009, it came down to 1.1.

The Golay government has also started a scheme to provide financial assistance of Rs 3 lakh to women for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment to help increase the fertility rate.