Delhi CM approves night shift for women

On Tuesday, Delhi’s Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the decision to amend the 1954 Act that curbed women's right to work during night hours. Currently Sections 14, 15, 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954, forbids women to work between 9 p.m to 7 a.m during summer and 8 p.m to 8 a.m during winter. 

“This is a step towards increasing women's participation in the workforce while ensuring their safety and dignity at the workplace,” says Rekha Gupta. However, to implement this, a set of safety protocols must be maintained. This includes ensuring written consent from women employees. 

Workplaces must guarantee round the clock CCTV coverage, transportation facilities and female security guards, an Internal Complaints Committee under the POSH Act alongside restrooms, lockers, legal benefits like PF, ESI,weekly offs and other basic amenities.  The file has been sent to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena for consideration.

Similar laws are already enforced in states like Haryana, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Gupta said, “This will help establish Delhi as a 24×7 business hub and also contribute to improving the capital’s Ease of Doing Business rankings.”  This decision marks a step towards gender equity in the workplace.