India, June 19 -- A Karnataka government proposal to increase daily work hours and overtime limits has sparked a wave of online reactions, many of them invoking Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, who last year stirred debate by calling for a 70-hour workweek for Indian youth.

The state is reportedly considering amendments to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, 1961, and the corresponding Rules of 1963, that would push the upper limit on daily working hours from 9 to 10, and allow overtime up to 12 hours in a day. The proposed revisions would also raise the three-month cap on overtime work from 50 hours to 144 hours.

While the move is being seen as part of a broader effort to "ease business operations" in the IT and s...