Supreme Court values Homemaker’s work at Rs 30 thousand per month, Calls them ‘Nation Builders’

11 Jun 2026, 15:44 by Himanshu · KalingaTV

New Delhi: In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court on Thursday recognized the unpaid domestic work of homemakers and ruled that it must be monetized at a minimum of Rs. 30,000 per month while calculating compensation in motor accident cases.

A Division Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice N.K. Singh said the loss of domestic care provided by a homemaker due to death or incapacitation in a road accident will now be treated as a “distinct and compensable head of damages” under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Calling homemakers “nation builders”, the Court observed that their contribution extends far beyond household work. “We are of the view that the housewife contributes to the growth of the human being and the nation. The homemaker builds the nation,” Justice Karol said while pronouncing the judgment.

The Court added that to measure the contribution of a homemaker in strictly monetary terms is difficult, but inadequate compensation must be avoided. It also suggested shifting from the term “housewife” to “homemaker” to avoid stereotyping.

The verdict came in an appeal arising from a 2001 road accident in Punjab where a woman named Reshma died. Her husband and three children had moved the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal for compensation in 2003.

The Bench said this Rs. 30,000 figure will be revised upward by 10% every three years to account for inflation.

The Court said motor accident compensation claims should ordinarily be decided within one year.

The judgment was delivered in an appeal under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

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Supreme Court values Homemaker’s work at Rs 30 thousand per month, Calls them ‘Nation Builders’

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