In a progressive initiative at ushering in industrial development in a big way under its “Make in Maharashtra” programme, the BJP-led saffron alliance Government on Wednesday decided to make major changes in the Factories Act, 1948, among other things to generate 1.9 lakh additional jobs and facilitate women to work in factories in night shifts.
Talking to mediapersons after the weekly State Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his Government had decided to remove the section 66(1) (c) of the Factories Act, 1948 which restricted women from working at a factory between 7 pm and 6 am.
However, the State Government decided to vest the responsibility of ensuring security working in night shifts. Similarly, the State Cabinet also decided to make necessary changes in the 67 year-old legislation to free 14,300-odd factories free from 'inspector raj'. "These many factories will henceforth be out of the purview of the Factories Act," an official said.
In another decision, the State Cabinet approved setting up of an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) at Nagpur, allotment of land for the proposed IIIT at Chakan in Pune district and setting up of a polytechnic for minorities at Muktainagar in Jalgaon district in north Maharashtra.