Bhubaneswar, June 11 -- In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court has held that the contribution of homemakers to their families and society must be given independent recognition while calculating compensation in motor accident cases. The Court described homemakers as "nation builders" and fixed the minimum value of their domestic services at Rs 30,000 per month for compensation purposes.

A Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice A.G. Masih ruled that the loss of domestic care resulting from the death of a homemaker should be treated as a separate head of damages under the Motor Vehicles Act. The Court directed that a composite amount of Rs 30,000 per month be considered under the head "loss of domestic care" in cases where the d...