Among the various amendments to labor law proposed by the Narendra Modi Government is one on allowing women to work on shifts between 7 pm and 6 am, “with adequate safeguards for safety and provision of transportation till the doorstep of their residence.” This amendment will surely open up more job opportunities for women at a time when the female work participation rate is at a dismal 31 per cent, according to the India Labor and Employment Report 2014, published by the Institute of Human Development. It is among the lowest in the world and the second lowest in South Asia after Pakistan. The concerns about the safety of women are compounded by the fact that, by and large, labour law compliance has had a dismal record in the country.

Read the Hindu BusinessLine news report here.