Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi wants to raise maternity leave to eight months from three months, reports a leading daily. The Ministry has sent the proposal to the Cabinet Secretariat for a discussion in the Committee of Secretaries.

"This matter was taken up by our minister with the Prime Minister and he is also very interested, so we are sending a copy to him," Nutan Guha Biswas, WCD additional secretary said to the daily.

The ministry has also asked the Labour ministry that the maternity benefit provisions to working women both in organised and unorganised sectors .

The ministry's maternity leave proposal suggests one month leave before delivery and seven months post delivery.