Under the maternity benefit provisions of the Code on Social Security, 2020, a woman employee is entitled to maternity benefit only if she has actually worked for a minimum period of how many days in the twelve months immediately preceding her expected date of delivery?

Explanation: Chapter VI of the Code on Social Security, 2020 provides that no woman shall be entitled to maternity benefit unless she has actually worked for the concerned employer for not less than eighty days in the twelve months immediately preceding her expected delivery date. This threshold mirrors the qualifying condition earlier prescribed under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. Once eligible, the woman is entitled to maternity benefit at the rate of her average daily wage, with maximum duration extending up to twenty-six weeks, of which not more than eight weeks may be availed before the expected delivery. The Code also entitles her to a medical bonus where the employer provides no free pre-natal and post-natal care.