Flipkart offers Rs 50,000 allowance to employees for adoption

New Delhi: After relaxing maternity and paternity policies, e-commerce major Flipkart is now offering an allowance of Rs 50,000 to employees looking to adopt children. The "adoption allowance", effective July 10, can be used towards legal, agency, regulatory costs or any other expenses that may arise during the adoption process, a Flipkart spokesperson told PTI.

According to data from Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), 1,368 children found new homes in the January-March quarter of 2015. The adoption rates have been dismal in the country even though India has one of the largest population of children who are abandoned, deserted or are in institutional care.

According to the new policy, Flipkart will allow its female employees adopting a child below the age of 12 months the same benefits as under maternity leave policy, i.e., six months paid leave along with four months of flexible working hours. For children aged over a year, the employee can avail three months paid leave and four months of flexible working hours, the spokesperson said.

The male employees can avail up to six months of paid adoption leave (can be availed within the first six months) and four months of flexible working hours. "If the employee is looking at extending their adoption leaves, but they don't have enough leaves left, they can take unpaid leave for up to three months and continuity on the same job is assured," the spokesperson said.

Effective July 1, the Bengaluru-based firm has also liberalised its maternity and paternal leave policy, aimed at providing flexibility to employees to help them take care of personal commitments as well as be productive at work.

Flipkart's maternity programme gives new mothers six months of paid leave as well as flexible working hours for four months with full pay. If needed, they can also take a one-year career break without pay. It provides up to Rs 600 per day transport reimbursement to its women employees for two months before they go on maternity break.

For dads-to-be, Flipkart now allows 10 days paternity leave as well as three months of flexible working hours. The company also offers maternity claim benefit of Rs 65,000 in case of normal delivery and Rs 80,000 in case of C-section.