The Delhi government has asked the labour department to take immediate steps to allow women to work night shifts, but only with their consent.
Delhi Government Moves to Permit Night Shifts for Women
Along with this, the government has told the labour department to ensure full safety measures by making changes to the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act.
They have also issued related notifications under the Factories Act.
A meeting was held by Lt. Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to review key schemes. These included steps to promote the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and the ‘Maximum Governance – Minimum Government’ vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
One major decision was to amend the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act. This change raises the minimum number of employees needed for the Act to apply from one to ten, and it will also allow businesses to operate 24×7.
Boost to Ease of Doing Business
Another important decision was to raise the worker threshold in the Industrial Disputes Act from 100 to 200. Now, only establishments with more than 200 workers will need permission for closure.
The fire department has also been asked to empanel agencies to carry out Third Party Audits.
Large commercial and industrial businesses will be able to get No Objection Certificates (NOCs) based on audit reports from these approved agencies.
Small businesses may be given the option to choose Third Party Audit instead.
The lease system for industrial areas also needs improvement to ensure better civic services and infrastructure, as discussed in the meeting.
It was also highlighted that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) should cut down the approval time for operations to 20 days. After this period, approvals should be considered granted automatically.
Officials stated that “DPCC should allow MSMEs in green and white categories to self-certify.”
The meeting was also attended by Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood and Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
