Section 66: Nursing breaks
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 66 — Governs nursing breaks and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed…
The Code was commenced in stages: section 142 had earlier commencement, S.O. 5319(E) brought the specified provisions into force from 21 November 2025, and later commencement instruments must be read with the current India Code footnotes for the remaining clauses.
Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗
Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does
Operative clauses
- Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed by the Central Government, for nursing the child until the child attains the age of fifteen months.
Provisos, explanations & qualifications
- No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.
Thresholds and timelines in the text
- Nursing breaks.—Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed by the Central Government, for nursing the child until the child attains the age of fifteen months.
Actors expressly appearing in the text
Central Government
Full statutory text — Section 66
66. Nursing breaks.—Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed by the Central Government, for nursing the child until the child attains the age of fifteen months.
How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed by the Central Government, for nursing the child until the child attains the age of fifteen months.
- Numerical or timing control — Nursing breaks.—Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed by the Central Government, for nursing the child until the child attains the age of fifteen months.
- Central Rule mapping — 36. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Central Government.
Rules, forms and cross-references
Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping
Forms mapped
No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.
Other sections cited in this text
Related Labour Hub resources
A direct concordance is not exhaustive. Central/State jurisdiction, schemes, authority appointments, saved instruments and later notifications may change the practical route without changing the section wording.
Worked example
For a worker/member seeking a benefit connected with nursing breaks, the file should show coverage, service/contribution facts, the rule/scheme and prescribed form, and the calculation/payment. One statutory point to test is: “Nursing breaks.—Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed by the Central Government, for nursing ” Read the mapped Central Rule(s) 36.
Illustration only; it is not statutory text or a substitute for applying the actual facts, jurisdiction, current rule/scheme and official instrument.
Q&A — Section 66
What does Section 66 of the Social Security Code cover?
Section 66 — Governs nursing breaks and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed…
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 66?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed by the Central Government, for nursing the child until the child attains the age of fifteen months.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 66 contain a proviso or explanation?
No standalone proviso or explanation was extracted from this section text. Check the full text below for clause-level qualifications.
What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 66?
The provision contains this numerical/time expression: “Nursing breaks.—Every woman delivered of a child who returns to duty after such delivery shall, in addition to the interval for rest allowed to her, be allowed in the course of her daily work two breaks of such duration as may be prescribed by the Central Government, for nursing the child until the child attains the age of fifteen months.” Apply it only in the clause and context in which it appears.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 66?
The current concordance maps Section 66 to Central Rule(s) 36.
Is Section 66 currently operative?
The Code was commenced in stages: section 142 had earlier commencement, S.O. 5319(E) brought the specified provisions into force from 21 November 2025, and later commencement instruments must be read with the current India Code footnotes for the remaining clauses.
Source & verification trail
Act: Code on Social Security, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗
Central Rules: Social Security (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 344(E), 8 May 2026 ↗
Official library: Ministry of Labour & Employment — Labour Codes ↗
Source check: 20 August 2026. Individual professional interpretation should be re-reviewed when the section, rules, notification, scheme, State overlay or controlling judgment changes.