In a bid to create new employment opportunities for the youth along with enhancing economic activities, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday granted permission for 23 more shops and commercial establishments to operate 24 hours in the city.

The Labour Department of Delhi proposed this plan to the Chief Minister regarding the operation of these establishments for 24 hours. These commercial establishments belong to the categories of commercial, retail trade, and business.

All these establishments must strictly adhere to the provisions and rules of the Delhi Shops Establishment Act of 1954. The government will keep strict surveillance over them to ensure strict action can be taken in case of any violation of the rules. The proposal has now been sent to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena for final approval.

Compliance with Sections 14, 15, and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act of 1954 is mandatory for these shops and commercial establishments. For instance, during summers, women employees will not be permitted to work in any establishment between 9 PM to 7 AM, and during cold weather, between 8 PM to 8 AM.

Shops must be open and closed within specified times, and violation of this might lead to the closure of the commercial establishment. An additional 15 minutes will be allowed to open the shop if customers are waiting. Different areas may have different timings for opening or closing shops, and owners must adhere to those.

Under the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act of 1954, 33 individuals applied to the Delhi Labour Department to operate shops for 24 hours. The department thoroughly examined these applications and documents. Among these, 23 applications meeting the criteria were approved. While the examination process of the remaining 10 application forms is still ongoing.

It is noteworthy that in the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of permissions granted for the operation of 24-hour shops and commercial establishments within Delhi.

The Chief Minister periodically approves commercial establishments that meet the criteria.

Before this, the Chief Minister had allowed 32 shops and establishments to open for 24 hours on January 2.

Whereas in August 2023, permission was given to 29 and in November 2023, 83 shops and commercial establishments. In the same series, on Monday, permission was given to open 23 shops and commercial establishments for 24 hours. Now their number has increased to 699.