Goa assembly passes bill to increase daily work duration limit in factories to 10 hours

Panaji: The Goa legislative assembly has passed a bill to raise the daily work hour limit in factories from nine to ten to facilitate the 'Ease of Doing Business'.

The assembly on Thursday night passed the bill seeking to amend provisions of the Factories Act, to extend daily working hours in factories and increase the permissible limit for overtime work.

The Factories (Goa Amendment) Bill was tabled by the State Factories and Boilers Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar on Thursday during the ongoing monsoon session of the House.

Through the bill, the government plans to amend section 54 of the Central Act, as applicable to Goa, and enhance the daily limit of working hours for adult workers from the existing nine to ten.

It also seeks to amend Section 65 of the Act to raise the maximum overtime permitted in a quarter from 125 to 144 hours.

The statement of objects and reasons attached to the bill said that the proposed amendments were aimed at facilitating the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ by reforming and simplifying regulatory frameworks.

“The amendments will provide greater flexibility in factory operations and align with evolving industrial needs while ensuring compliance with statutory safeguards,” according to the Bill.

The government has clarified that the proposed changes do not entail any financial implications.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the House that the Bill would be referred to the President for assent before it takes effect as law.