Strengthening maternity protection capacity in India through national training programme

New Delhi (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) is strengthening national capacity to improve maternity protection and strengthen social protection systems that better support women workers and families in India.

A five-day National Training of Trainers (ToT) Programme on Maternity Protection, supported by the Government of Japan, took place in New Delhi from 18–22 May 2026. It brought together labour administration officials, training institutions, researchers and social protection practitioners from across India to strengthen national capacity on maternity rights and gender-responsive social protection systems.

The initiative comes at a critical time for India’s labour market transformation. Although India has made important progress in expanding maternity entitlements and strengthening labour legislation, many women workers, particularly those in informal and vulnerable employment, still face limited access to maternity benefits, employment protection, workplace health safeguards and care support.

“By investing in a national pool of trainers and institutional partnerships, the initiative contributes to strengthening institutional ownership and sustainability of maternity protection efforts across India,” said Mariko Ouchi, Senior Social Security Specialist, ILO.

Strengthening maternity protection is increasingly recognized as essential not only for protecting the rights and health of women workers and their children, but also for improving women’s labour force participation, reducing workplace discrimination, supporting productivity and retention, and advancing more inclusive economic growth.

Grounded in the principles of the ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183), the programme combined technical learning with practical facilitation exercises to help participants become future national trainers on maternity protection. The training also aimed to institutionalize maternity protection learning within participating institutions and strengthen long-term national capacity on gender-responsive social protection.

Participants conducted training simulations and peer-learning exercises under the guidance of facilitators, enabling them to strengthen practical facilitation skills while contextualizing discussions within the Indian labour and social protection landscape.

“The programme strengthened understanding of maternity protection as a fundamental labour and human right linked to gender equality and inclusive social protection. It also highlighted the importance of extending protections to informal and vulnerable workers through stronger implementation, capacity building, and institutional collaboration,” said Dr. Shashi Bala, Senior Fellow, V.V. Giri National Labour Institute.

“The training enhanced understanding of key ILO standards on maternity protection and helped participants better assess gaps between international labour standards and Indian legislation,” said S. Sivaramakrishnan, Joint Director, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation.

The programme also reinforced the importance of adopting a gender-transformative approach to labour policy and social protection, particularly in the context of changing labour markets and growing recognition of unpaid care responsibilities.

“Strengthening maternity protection is not only an investment in women workers and children, but also in healthier workplaces, stronger institutions, and more resilient and equitable economic development,” said Michiko Miyamoto, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia and the Country Office for India, added.

This programme was implemented under the “Promoting and Building Social Protection in India” project, funded by the Government of Japan.