KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27—Putrajaya will encourage the private sector to match the 90-day maternity leave currently available to civil servants.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this when tabling Budget 2018 today, when he also announced 2018 as the Year of Women’s Empowerment.

"Undoubtedly, women are the backbone of the family prosperity and national development,” he said.

To also encourage more women to return to the work force, Najib also proposed a one-year tax exemption for women returning to the workforce after a hiatus of more than two years.