The maternity leave for the third child of women government employees will be increased from the existing 12 weeks to 365 days, Minister for Human Resources Management D. Sarathkumar announced in the Assembly on Tuesday.

While making the announcements of his department, he said women government employees are now granted 365 days of maternity leave for their first two children, while those with two or more children are granted up to 12 weeks of maternity leave.

He said an app, ‘Vetri Paathai’, would be developed at a cost of ₹20 lakh for students preparing for competitive examinations conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), and other Central and State recruitment bodies.

A building would be constructed at a cost of ₹12.5 crore at the headquarters of the TNPSC. A CCTV surveillance system would be installed at the Tamil Nadu Information Commission at a cost of ₹10 lakh. At the Government Training Institute at Bhavanisagar, a new computer laboratory would be established at a cost of ₹1 crore. It would have modern infrastructure. Sports facilities would be developed at the centre at a cost of ₹2.25 crore to provide the trainees with a healthy environment. Under the ‘Simple Governance’ initiative, 150 government services were planned to be provided this financial year.

When he commenced his reply, Mr. Sarathkumar listed the names of several films in which Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had acted. He also referred to Mr. Vijay as “the Prime Minister of tomorrow”.