Jharkhand: Soon, women may be able to work in night shifts

RANCHI: Soon, women in Jharkhand will be able to work in night shifts, albeit only in factories. Till date, no woman can be employed beyond 10pm. Chief minister Raghubar Das on Thursday said necessary amendments in the state labour laws have been made in this regard and the amended bill has been sent to the governor for President's assent.
Speaking on the sidelines of a BPO summit here, Das said, "We have recently sent a bill that will allow women to work in night shifts, too.This is one of the crucial labour reforms that we have taken to facilitate industrial growth."
Talking to TOI, secretary of state labour, and employment department, Rajiv Arun Ekka, said, "After it was passed by the cabinet, The Factory (Jharkhand amendment) Bill 2019 got the assembly's nod in the recently-concluded monsoon session. A few weeks ago, we have sent it to Raj Bhavan to seek the President's assent. If all goes well, women working in night shifts in Jharkhand, on the lines of big cities, will be reality in a month's time."
Chief inspector of factories in Jharkhand, A K Mishra, said the amendment, once approved by President, will be applicable only to factories, where manufacturing takes places. "Factories by definition relate to units where any sort of manufacturing work happens. Currently, the state government rules permit women to work till 10 pm. Once the bill gets the Presidential assent, women can work in night shifts, too," Mishra said.