August 14: In a welcome move, a Surat-based digital marketing company said it would give 12 days of period leave per year to the woman employees working in the firm.

Following in the footsteps of food delivery company Zomato, Bhautik Sheth, the founder of iVIPANAN announced 12 days of period leave per year for its female staff with immediate effect. Bhautik Sheth's firm was founded in 2014 and has a total of nine employees, of which eight are women.

Sheth said, "Menstruation is still a taboo in Indian society. Even today females working in offices become conscious of taking a bag, purse, or a plastic bag in a hand while going to the washroom. We want to break this stigma and send a strong message to all small-size businesses in India to understand the biological difference between males and females. We have taken this step so that women do not have to deal with the discomfort of coming to office during periods."