Goa Legislature Extends Factory Work Hours for Business Ease

The Goa legislative assembly has passed a bill to extend daily working hours in factories from nine to ten and increase permissible overtime, aiming to enhance the 'Ease of Doing Business'. The amendments, yet to receive presidential assent, intend to provide operational flexibility while maintaining statutory compliance.

The Goa legislative assembly has taken a significant step towards enhancing the 'Ease of Doing Business' by passing a new bill that increases daily factory work hours from nine to ten. Passed on Thursday night, the bill seeks to amend the Factories Act.

Introduced by State Factories and Boilers Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar during the ongoing monsoon session, the Factories (Goa Amendment) Bill aims to boost operational flexibility in factories by increasing the daily work limit for adult workers.

This legislative move also proposes to amend Section 65 of the Act to extend the permissible maximum overtime in a quarter from 125 to 144 hours. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that the bill will require the President's approval before becoming law.

(With inputs from agencies.)