Andhra cabinet okays bill for women to do night shifts in factories

The Andhra Pradesh cabinet chaired by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday approved an amendment to the Factories Act, 1948, that will allow women to work night shifts in factories with adequate safety and transport facilities.
The cabinet approved amendments to several key sections of the Factories Act, 1948, said state information and public relations minister Kolusu Parthasarathy.
'Accordingly, the AP Factories Amendment Bill, 2025 will be passed in the assembly to reduce procedural burdens on industries. Women will be allowed to work night shifts with adequate safety and transport facilities,' the minister said.
According to the bill, women employees would be allowed to work in night shifts between 7pm and 6am. This would be applicable only after obtaining prior written consent of the employees, as well as providing them pick-up and drop off facilities and other security measures, he said.
The minister further said that the cabinet felt that there would be increased investments in the industrial sector only if labour laws were relaxed. 'At present, women employees working in factories are entitled to do overtime work only for 50-75 hours every three months. Now, the cabinet has decided to amend the Factories Act, relaxing conditions to enable women employees to do 144 hours of overtime work,' said Parthasarathy.
The cabinet also approved the home department's proposal to grant special remission to 17 convicts sentenced to life imprisonment, eligible as on February 1, 2025. The order follows the issuance of permanent guidelines for premature release of prisoners sentenced to life in accordance with orders of the Supreme Court.
'Prisoners who have undergone an actual sentence of 14 years for offences punishable with death and 7 years for offences punishable with life imprisonment are eligible for this remission,' he said.
The minister said prisoners released through remission will have to appear before the police station in their jurisdiction once every three months. If the released prisoners commit any crime later, their remission will be cancelled, he added.
The cabinet further approved a proposal by the information technology, electronics and communications department for establishment of Andhra Pradesh State Quantum Mission (SQM), under which Quantum Valley will be established in Amaravati for undertaking research in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity by working with institutions like IIT Madras, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and IBM.
'It will help attract world-class researchers and bring international investments to the state,' he said.
total of 50 acres of land have been allocated for the development of Quantum Valley in Amaravati through Andhra Pradesh capital region development authority (APCRDA) and a detailed project report has been submitted, said the minister. 'IBM will deploy their '156-qubit Quantum System 2' in the state, while TCS will partner in software development and L&T will participate in the development of Quantum Valley Tech Park,' he added, and further said that a Quantum Summit will be organized in June 2025 to develop strategic action plans with international experts.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

India Gazette

5 hours ago

• India Gazette

Gujarat CM Patel announces Gujarat Electronics Component Manufacturing Policy

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], June 22 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has announced the Gujarat Electronics Component Manufacturing Policy-2025 (GECMS-2025), further strengthening Gujarat's identity as a policy-driven state under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Aimed at transforming Gujarat into a global hub for electronics manufacturing, this new policy brings a significant advantage: projects approved and supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, will be eligible for 100 per cent central assistance when established in Gujarat. Hence, MeitY-approved projects set up in the state will receive dual incentive benefits, one from the Central Government and another from the State Government according to a press release. Thoroughly aligned with the Central Government's Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), Gujarat's GECMS-2025 ensures a 100 per cent top-up on central support and guarantees timely disbursement of assistance. Also, once a project receives approval under the ECMS from MeitY, it will automatically become eligible for the same grant-in-aid in Gujarat. The State Government will disburse its incentive within 30 days of the Central Government releasing its assistance. Gujarat has established itself as a leading manufacturing and automobile hub in India's industrial landscape. With four semiconductor plants now operational in the state, the newly announced policy will further strengthen the upstream industries. This development will reduce import dependency and improve technological resilience. The policy aims to attract over Rs 35,000 crore in new investments and create substantial high-skilled employment opportunities within the state's electronics component manufacturing sector. Unveiled by the Chief Minister, the policy will boost investment in key segments such as multi-layer and HDI printed circuit boards, lithium-ion cells, SMD passive components, display and camera modules, electronic parts, and the additional required machinery essential for their production. A core focus of the policy is to bridge the talent gap, promote innovation and offer support for Research and development initiatives. Recognised institutions based in Gujarat will be eligible for assistance of up to Rs 12.5 crore from the state government to establish Centres of Excellence, Finishing Schools, or Applied Research Laboratories. Additionally, under the GECMS, turnover-linked incentives will be provided for six years. (ANI)

Mint

7 hours ago

• Mint

Gujarat Electronics Component Manufacturing Policy aims to reduce import dependency

Ahmedabad, Jun 22 (PTI) Incentives for projects approved by MeitY, quick disbursal of assistance and reducing import dependency by attracting over ₹ 35,000 crore in new investments are among the prominent features of the Gujarat Electronics Component Manufacturing Policy-2025. The policy, which aims to transform Gujarat into a global hub for electronics manufacturing, was unveiled by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday. The policy states that projects approved and supported by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will be eligible for 100 per cent Central assistance when established in Gujarat. Projects approved by the MeitY will receive incentives from both the Centre and the state government through a single approval and incentive assistance will disbursed within 30 days, a government release stated. "This means MeitY-approved projects set up in the state will receive dual incentive benefits from the Central and Gujarat governments," it said. Aligned with the Union government's Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), the policy ensures "a 100 per cent top-up on Central support while guaranteeing timely disbursement of assistance. "Once a project is approved under the ECMS from MeitY, it will automatically become eligible for the same grant-in-aid in Gujarat. The state government will disburse its incentive within 30 days of the Centre releasing the assistance," the release said. The policy aims to reduce dependence on imports and improve technological resilience by attracting over ₹ 35,000 crore in new investments. It aims to create substantial high-skilled employment opportunities within the state's electronics component manufacturing sector. The policy hopes to boost investment in key segments, such as multi-layer and HDI printed circuit boards, lithium-ion cells, SMD passive components, display and camera modules, electronic parts, and the additional machinery for their production. "The policy's core focus is to bridge the talent gap, promote innovation, and offer support for research and development initiatives, with the recognised Gujarat-based institutions being eligible for assistance of up to ₹ 12.5 crore to establish centres of excellence, finishing schools, or applied research laboratories," the release stated. The policy aims to establish Gujarat as a prominent player in global electronics supply chains by promoting the manufacturing of local electronic components and sub-assembly production, reducing import dependency, and boosting exports, which will drive product value growth in global electronics value chains (GVCs). The Government of India (GoI) guidelines mandate the submission of applications to avail of the benefits of this policy by July 31, 2025. All MeitY-approved projects operating in Gujarat will automatically become eligible for availing of the policy benefits along with developing or proposed projects for incentives. The government said only the units other than those receiving assistance under Gujarat Electronics Policy 2022-28 will be eligible for benefits under this policy, and those availing benefits under this policy will not qualify under the Gujarat Electronics Policy.

New Indian Express

10 hours ago

• New Indian Express

Telangana Dy CM Bhatti Vikramarka announces 2 per cent DA hike for power employees

HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday announced a nearly 2% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for Power department employees. He said the state government, giving priority to employee welfare, has decided to enhance the DA by 1.944% for power employees and pensioners. The revised DA will benefit 71,417 employees and pensioners across the state. The DA has been raised from 14.074% to 16.018%, with retrospective effect from January this year. The revision will impose an additional monthly burden of Rs 11.193 crore on power utilities. Addressing employees of the power department at Praja Bhavan, the deputy chief minister said the revised DA would also apply to artisans, along with power employees and pensioners. 'Telangana should emerge as a guiding force in the power sector for the entire country. The state government is moving ahead with a well-structured strategy to achieve this. Electricity has become as essential to industrial production in today's competitive world as air is to life,' he said. Peak power demand Referring to demand trends, Vikramarka pointed out that in March 2023, when the BRS was in power, the peak power demand stood at 15,000 MW. 'After the Congress assumed office in December 2023, the demand rose to 17,162 MW by March 2025, an increase of over 2,000 MW. Despite this rise, the government and power employees had ensured uninterrupted and quality power supply,' he said. Vikramarka said the state anticipates a further steep rise in demand. Citing a report by a central agency, he stated that Telangana's peak power demand is projected to reach 26,299 MW by 2029–30 and 33,773 MW by 2034–35. The deputy chief minister added that the government was planning ahead to boost power generation capacity to meet these future requirements. He said that following the formation of the Congress government, the Green Energy Policy-2025 had been introduced, targeting the production of 20,000 MW of green power by 2029-30. He urged the power sector workforce to be prepared to face future challenges and reiterated that the government and employees together formed an ideal working partnership.