Covid-19 impact: Gujarat, Punjab increase working hours in factories

Andhra Pradesh has asked employers to not lay-off contract workers during the lockdown

Gujarat and Punjab have become the latest states to increase working hours for factories, even as Andhra Pradesh has issued a strict directive to employers to not lay off contract workers during the lockdown period.
 

The governments in Gujarat and Punjab followed the footsteps of the Rajasthan government and increased the working hours limit allowed in a day to 12 hours in manufacturing units. Earlier, while Punjab had allowed a maximum of 9 hours in a day per worker, Rajasthan and Gujarat had a provision for a maximum of 8 hours.
 

However, unlike Rajasthan and Punjab, workers in Gujarat will