Soon, it could be no stopping shoppers

YOUR long-cherished pleasure trip to a neighbourhood mall past midnight to grab a bite at a McDonald’s or catch a movie could soon be a reality, as night clubs will no longer be the exclusive hideouts for nocturnal creatures. The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a model law that permits shops, malls and cinema halls, among other establishments, to run day and night for all 365 days a year.

The Model Shops and Establishment (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services) Bill, 2016, offers flexibility to establishments employing 10 or more people, barring manufacturing units, on timings for opening and closing. It also allows women to do night shifts, provided they are given adequate security.

Since the Bill is suggestive in nature, it would be up to states to adopt the provisions.

Currently, states have their own legislation that regulates the opening and closing times of shops and establishments and prescribes holidays for workers and working shifts for women. The Bill would ensure that legislative provisions and working conditions in shops and establishments, not falling under the Factories Act, remain uniform for all states.

The decision ostensibly comes as a boost to the country’s retail market, which has the potential to grow from $630 billion in 2015 to $1,1001,200 billion in 2020, according to a CII-BCG report released earlier this year. The Cabinet decision also marks the Centre’s efforts to bring as much flexibility as possible in labour rules to further job creation. It also ensures a level playing field between online and offline retailers, as consumers can shop online any time they want.

The move, first mooted by finance minister Arun Jaitley in the last Budget, will help create more jobs as shops and establishments will require