Rajasthan government has introduced the Factories (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2025, allowing women to work night shifts in factories across the state.
The Bill was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on September 1 by Cabinet Minister Sumit Godara, marking a major policy shift in the application of the Factories Act, 1948.
The amendment enables women to be employed in all types of factory work, including shifts before 6 a.m. and after 7 p.m., subject to written consent and prescribed safety measures.
The government stated that the change is aimed at increasing women’s participation in remunerative industries.
These industries operate round-the-clock and include sectors like textiles, pharmaceuticals, and electronics.
Conditions for Night Work: Consent and Safety Protocols
The Bill stipulates that employers must obtain written consent from women employees before assigning them to night shifts.
Additionally, factories must implement safety and security protocols, including transportation arrangements, adequate lighting, and surveillance systems.
Officials emphasized that the move aligns with the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
This legislation was passed by Parliament five years ago to modernize labor standards across sectors.
Rajasthan has adopted these provisions to promote more equitable access to employment and earnings for women.
This change is especially significant for sectors that were previously restricted by time-bound labor laws.
Flexible Work Hours and Extended Shifts Proposed in Rajasthan
Beyond the provision for night shifts, the Bill introduces several changes to working hour regulations for all factory workers:
- Daily Work Limit: The government may extend the maximum daily work hours from 9 to 10 hours, including rest intervals, while keeping the weekly cap at 48 hours.
- Continuous Work Periods: The government may allow workers to work up to 6 hours without a break, depending on factory type and operational needs.
- Spread-Over Time: The total spread-over time in a day, including rest intervals, may be extended to 12 hours.
- Overtime Cap: The government may increase the quarterly overtime limit from 75 hours to 144 hours.
These provisions aim to improve factory productivity, accommodate seasonal demand, and offer workers more flexibility in scheduling.
Economic Rationale and Employment Generation
The Rajasthan government has framed the Bill as part of a broader effort to boost industrial output and job creation.
Officials noted that the amendments would help factory occupiers optimize their production schedules.
They also emphasized that the changes would ensure adequate staffing for machine supervision and process continuity.
“The proposed changes are designed to increase the maximum production capacity of factories and allow occupiers to create more jobs,” the draft legislation states.
The government also cited the Centre’s Compliance Reduction and Deregulation initiative as a guiding framework for the reforms.
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