Odisha Cabinet approves 10-hour shifts; women to work night shifts

The Odisha government on Monday (September 29, 2025) increased the daily working hours to 10 hours, subject to a 48-hour weekly cap. It also allowed women in private establishments to work night shifts subject to their written consent.

The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, approved an amendment to the Factories Act, 1948, aimed at promoting industrial investment and creating more employment opportunities.

“The State government has extended the total number of hours of work without an interval to six hours and increased the spread over up to 12 hours inclusive of intervals for rest,” read the official statement.

“Where a worker works for more than the prescribed hours, they would be entitled to wages at the rate of twice their ordinary rate of wages for overtime work,” it added.

Moreover, the overtime work limit has been increased from 115 hours to 144 hours every financial quarter.

“Women can be employed in all factories for all types of work. They may also be employed before 6 a.m. and beyond 7 p.m. with their written consent,” the government said.

These reforms are expected to attract new investments, enable factories to meet peak demand and increase productivity, the government said.

Development of model schools

In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved the development of model schools under the Godabarisha Adarsha Vidyalaya (GAV) scheme at the gram panchayat level, with a focus on inclusive and quality education.

Aligning with the objectives of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, the GAV scheme aims to ensure equal access to education and holistic development of the student community.

“This initiative is in line with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and the NIPUN Odisha scheme, and places a special focus on enhancing foundational literacy and numeracy skills to empower children socially and educationally,” the statement added.

In the first phase, spanning three years (2025-26 to 2027-28), a total of 2,200 model schools will be constructed with an estimated outlay of ₹12,000 crore.