Policy Drafting Competition by TNNLU [Cash Prizes 18K]: Register by Feb 22

About TNNLU

The Tamil Nadu National Law University (TNNLU) was established by the Government of Tamil Nadu by an Act of State Legislature (Tamil Nadu Act No.9 of 2012) to provide quality legal education at the global level. TNNLU has been established with the objective of advancing and engaging with the knowledge of the law, its processes, and its role in national development. TNNLU is committed to the endeavour of instilling in its students and research scholars a sense of responsibility to serve the society in the field of law by cultivating skills in advocacy, legal services, legislation, and reforms.

About the Opportunity

The Tamil Nadu National Law University, Tiruchirappalli, is organising a policy drafting competition aimed at rethinking India’s parental leave policies to make them more inclusive and balanced. This competition focuses on addressing the gender disparities inherent in the current framework, where maternity leave is disproportionately emphasised upon, leaving fathers to have and hold little to no responsibility at all.

The goal of the competition is to encourage participants to propose a policy that fosters equality by redistributing caregiving responsibilities between parents, regardless of gender. Participants are invited to critically examine the existing parental leave system in India, which places the burden of childcare primarily on mothers, limiting fathers’ involvement and reinforcing traditional gender roles.

This imbalance also contributes to workplace discrimination against women, particularly concerning hiring and wages, as employers may view women as liabilities due to the extended maternity leave. Through this competition, participants will have the opportunity to develop innovative and equitable solutions that not only improve family dynamics but also help close the gender wage gap. This competition encourages fresh perspectives, practical solutions, and research-driven policy proposals, contributing to a more balanced and inclusive legal framework for parental leave in India.

Theme

The idea of parental leave is such wherein there is no specific gender or sex attached to the parent in question taking leave to care for their child. This encompasses both paternity and maternity leave, joined together to formulate a parental leave policy. Maternity leave in particular has also taken into consideration the medical aspect of a woman’s recovery post childbirth, so it clubs medical leave and childcare leave, and brings about what we know as maternity leave.

India’s current parental leave policy primarily focuses on maternity leave, disproportionately affecting women, and placing the burden of taking care of their child solely on them. The leave provided to fathers is extremely minimal, especially in comparison to maternity leave. This disallows fathers from spending time with their children as well and negatively affects their relationship with their children, while also fostering a sense of overdependence upon mothers. Further, the excessive dependence hinders employers from hiring women, adding to the wage gap. It is therefore desired that India comes up with a better parental leave policy that appropriately balances the interests of both the sexes and is inclusive in nature.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all Undergraduate and Post Graduate Students irrespective of their stream. Teams shall consist of 1 to 3 members. Students from different Universities are allowed to mix and form teams.

Registration Fee

• Competition Participants
• UG STUDENTS- Rs.250/-
• PG STUDENTS- Rs. 500/-
• Panel Discussion- Observers
• Students- Rs.250/-
• Academicians/others- Rs.500/-

Prizes

• All participants will be awarded a certificate of participation.
• The best 3 proposals from all the submissions will be adjudged and shortlisted in accordance with the evaluation criteria set forth by the competition organizers.
• First Prize: Certificate of Achievement and Cash price of Rs.10,000/-
• Second Prize: Certificate of Appreciation and Cash price of Rs.5,000/-
• Third Prize: Certificate of Appreciation and Cash price of Rs.3000/-
• The Proceedings of the event will be published as a book containing the ISBN number.

Important Dates

• Date of Announcement- 12.02.2025
• Last Date of Registration- 22.02.2025
• Synopsis Submission- 25.02.2025
• Intimation of Acceptance- 28.02.2025
• Policy Paper Submission- 25. 03. 2025
• Date of the Event- 27.03.2025

Registration Process

Registration fees for participating in the competition shall be paid after the acceptance of the synopsis is intimated.

BANK DETAILS

• Beneficiary Name: The Registrar, Tamil Nadu National Law University
• A/C No.: 16560110029565
• Bank: UCO Bank
•  Branch: TNNLS Branch, Tiruchirappalli
• IFSC Code: UCBA0003003
• Account Type: Savings Account

Registration Links

The link for registration to the competition is here.

The link for registration to Panel Discussion Observers is here.

Contact Information

• Suhasini BC – 96633 19536
• Parthasarathy P – 87626 84837
• Suganthi M – 94427 61144
•  E-mail: [email protected]

The brochure is here.