New Delhi, Oct. 3 -- The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday made 37 recommendations to the Union government to strengthen maternity and childcare protections, including mandatory paid paternity leave in the private and unorganised sectors, gender-neutral Child Care Leave (CCL) for private sector employees and five lakh new creche seats by 2030. The recommendations followed a national consultation held on May 5 for reviewing laws relating to maternity and child care, including the Maternity Benefit Act and its amendments. It was a part of the NCW's broader exercise to identify gaps in the existing framework and gather views from experts and stakeholders, and address them to create an inclusive gender-neutral framework. "The Commission's 'Recommendatory Report on Laws Relating to Maternity and Child Care' presents 37 recommendations across nine key areas, aimed at establishing a more inclusive, gender-neutral and comprehensive framework for maternity and childcare protection," the NCW said in a statement. The recommendations were submitted to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Union ministry of women and child development, and the Union ministry of labour and employment. Among its key recommendations, the commission proposed replacing the existing 730-day, women-centric CCL system with a gender-neutral entitlement available to either parent. Under the proposal, each working parent would be entitled to 365 days of CCL, or parents working in the same organisation could use a common pool of 730 days. Currently, the 730-day CCL entitlement is provided under the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules to eligible government employees. The NCW has proposed making it gender-neutral and extending it to private sector employees. It also recommended mandatory paid paternity leave in the private and unorganised sectors. "The report calls for paternity leave to be recognised as an essential right enabling fathers to participate meaningfully in childcare, with statutory frameworks applicable uniformly across sectors," the commission said. At present, paternity leave is available to eligible central government male employees for 15 days under the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules. The NCW recommended extending CCL to private-sector employees in phases....