No duty for women from 7 pm till 6 am without their consent: Yogi govt's new rule

In a move to ensure the safety of working women, the Yogi Adityanath government has issued new rules. The circular now states that women cannot be forced to work between the hours of 7 pm and 6 am. The BJP government of Yogi Adityanath earlier proposed Rs 75.50 crore for a women empowerment scheme. The state administration has recommended establishing cyber support desks for women at the district level.

The government has stated that if women are engaged in work or duty between 7 pm to 6 am, then the company or organisation must have her consent for the same.

Suresh Chandra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Labor and Employment Department of the UP Government has stated that "after written consent, women can work between 7 PM and 6 AM, be it from work from home or work from office. If the employee is working in office, then a free cab facility must be provided to the female employee". In case these orders are not followed, it would be seen as a violation of the labour law.


The Blueprint of today's circular

1. During night duty, female employees must be provided with food and should have access to drinking water.

2. Companies and Organisations must create a committee to ensure that harassment against women does not take place.

3. Bathrooms, changing rooms must be made available for women in the office.

4. Women employees will only work in the office when there are at least 4 or more female employees on duty as well.

Under the Mission Shakti initiative in the micro and small scale industries sector, an allocation of Rs 20 crore has been recommended for women's safety, empowerment, and skill development.