Six States Have Passed Laws Extending Working Hours From The Currently Mandated 8 Hours Per Day To 12 Hours Per Day.

As the second stage of the coronavirus lockdown is scheduled to end, millions of workers face the prospect of returning to longer working hours. At last count, at least six states have passed laws extending working hours from the currently mandated 8 hours per day to 12 hours per day.The aim, say the governments, is to ensure that companies can operate with fewer workers and reduce the number of shifts, while meeting targets.The Rajasthan government, which passed the notification on April 11 extending working hours for three months, says this would allow firms to run operations for six days with a reduction of 33 per cent capacity of “people passing through the facility”.Other states that have passed similar rules include Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.