Goa govt to amend law to let women work overnight in ind units

Goa government will amend Factories Act to allow women to work overnight in different industrial establishments as it is of view that certain norms restricting employment of women at night has had a "deterrent effect" on their job prospects.
"The amendment to the Act would be done empowering the state government to vary the current time limits with respect to employment of women while ensuring safety of women who work in any factory or manufacturing process between the hours of 7 PM and 6 AM, which will improve the employability of women and also help the industry to select the staff of their choice," stated a statement released by the Department of Information and Publicity.

The suggestion to allow women to work overnight in the industrial units was put up by the Industrial Promotion Board citing similar amendments in states like Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
The government will have to amend section 66 of Factories Act, 1948 for the purpose.
For male workers, the government has expressed its intention to increase total hours of work per week, including overtime, from 60 to 72 and to 75-125 hours.
"Any objections or suggestions to the said proposal may be forwarded to the Secretary, Factories and Boiler department, before February 29, 2016," it stated.

Government is of the view that "privatisations and globalisations" have brought in unprecedented competition in the industry.

"Survival has become the main problem against the backdrop of opening of the economy since 1991. Flexibility in hours of work is indispensable to maintain the pace of production.
"In modern times, there cannot be discrimination against the female workers as far as job opportunities are concerned. Specified provision restricting the employment of women at night has deterrent effect on employment of women," it stated.
The central government has launched various initiatives to make business at ease and the programme such as "Make In India" has been a major step in this regard, the release stated.

"Attracting investment in state in pursuance to this initiative has multiple benefits not only through generation of revenue but also creating employment opportunities," it added.