Ranjeetha Priyadarshini, a social activist from Odisha pitches for ‘Paid Menstrual Leaves’. She raised her voice at the United Nations (UN) meeting and advocates for paid leave to women on menstrual days. She believes that only after granting official leaves, then will women be able to take leave without worrying about a cut in salary.
Summit of future program
Ranjeetha Priyadarshini spoke at the 'Summit of the Future' program at the 79th House of Representatives in New York City, USA. She is doing a lot to remove the misconceptions in the society about monthly menstrual cycle.
Who is Ranjeeta Priyadarshini?
“I am proud to attend the UN conference for the second time. My main aim is to give paid leave in monthly days. One to two days leave should be given on those days. No woman will take that leave if it is not considered as paid leave...”, says Priyadarshini. She mentioned this matter for the first time at the UN conference held in Kenya.
Six days leaves in Karnataka
Ranjeetha Priyadarshini said that the Odisha government has taken a decision in this direction after the Kenya conference. Government of her native state has implemented the Paid Period Leave Initiative from August 15 this year. Also, the Karnataka government has announced six such holidays per year. Appreciating the Karnataka government's action, she asked to increase the number of holidays to 12.
Personal experiences are the reason behind her struggle since long time. She revealed that she was insulted by her manager for asking for leave at that time and then resigned from the job. Her efforts contribute to monthly health discussions and decision-making among the women world.
Odisha Govt’s initiation
It is known that the Odisha government has introduction of one day monthly leave policy for women employees. This policy applies to women working in the government and private sectors. It has been designed so that female employees can take leave on the first or second day of their menstruation every month. This decision has been taken for the health and well-being of the employees.
