New Delhi, March 31 -- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha has demanded in Parliament that paternity leave should be a legal right in India.

As things stand, paternity leave exists in India in the government sector, but it is not mandated by law for the private sector. Central Government employees are entitled to 15 days of paid leave within six months of childbirth or adoption. But in the private sector, it is considered a contractual benefit rather than a right, and policies vary widely across companies.

"When a child is born, both parents are congratulated. But caregiving responsibility falls on one. The mother," Chadha, said, raising the demand in Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament.

"A father should ...