In a first, Kerala university decides to give menstrual leaves to female students

A university in the southern Indian state of Kerala has decided to grant menstrual leaves to its female students, marking such a move for the first time.

According to a report in India Today, the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) took the decision after the institution's students' union presented the demand to the authorities.

The decision has addressed the demand of the female students which was pending for long.

It is expected to benefit more than 4,000 students studying in various streams at the CUSAT, including PhD.

The female students of the university can have an additional leave benefit of two per cent in each semester, the report added.

Currently, only those who have 75 per cent attendance can sit for the semester exams. In case of a lesser attendance, the students have to mandatorily submit an application to the university's vice-chancellor and produce a medical certificate.

In case of menstrual leaves, the students need to show a medical certificate and just need to submit an application.

CUSAT's students' union, led by the Students' Federation of India -- a Left-wing student organisation, had demanded that the institution should allow menstrual leaves.

The decision was made following the union's intervention, the report added.

In another first in December, Mahatma Gandhi University, also located in Kerala, decided to grant 60 days of maternity leave to its degree and post-graduate students.