Imagine this! You don't need to worry about the time if your pregnant wife is craving for Blueberry frozen yogurt in the wee hours, you can party all night at your favourite pub without caring about the timings, or you don't need to wait for the weekends to take your family for movie and shopping! Its all are going to be reality soon, as the Cabinet has approved the law to open malls, cinemas
restaurants 24X7.
The Cabinet approved a new model law that allows restaurants, cinema halls, malls, shops, banks and other such workplaces to stay open 24X7 throughout the year. The law also enable women to work during the night shifts in shops and establishments with mandatory cab services and other workplace facilities.
Riyaaz Amlani, President, NRAI (National Restaurant Association of India) is elated with the development, "This is extremely wonderful news and a victory for the NRAI. We have been lobbying hard for the past many years for the freedom of operational timings in restaurants. We are delighted as this will go a long way in boosting the economy and employment in India. We are hopeful that the state and local authorities would cooperate and adopt this model."
A statement by the Labour and Employment Ministry said that, “Women to be permitted during night shift, if the provision of shelter, rest room, ladies toilet, adequate protection of their dignity and transportation etc exists.”
“We will send it to the States immediately. The model law will be a readymade material for the State governments as this has taken shape after several rounds of extensive consultation within various ministries and the Cabinet,” Labour Secretary Shankar Aggarwal.
"This is great news. More than impact on the business, it's a sign to the world that we are maturing as a country and getting more confident with our policies and outlook. The move will benefit business long term especially on weekends and also improve employment opportunities in the F&B and retail sector, even though getting the right manpower will be a challenge initially. We will wait for more details on this proposal and welcome this move. The times are changing," Sumeet Yadav, CEO, Nando's India said.
Krish Iyer, president and CEO Walmart India, said that,“With flexibility available to retailers to open their establishment 24x7, not only thousands of additional skill jobs will be added, but it will also make the retail markets across the country very vibrant giving customers flexibility and convenience to shop anytime.”
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Nandini
