LUCKNOW, Nov. 13 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has extended the scope for women to work in night shifts between 7 pm and 6 am, provided they give their consent which must be registered with the state labour department. The move follows enforcement of the Uttar Pradesh Factories (Amendment) Act in the state after it got President Droupadi Murmu's assent recently. Previously, women were allowed to work in only 12 categories of hazardous industries, but now the number has been expanded to all 29 hazardous sectors, officials said. Under the new provisions, the state government is empowered to extend the maximum daily working hours in factories to 12 hours, provided that the total weekly working hours do not exceed 48, a state government statement said. The Act also allows workers to perform up to six hours of continuous work without an interval, subject to their written consent. Additionally, in cases of exceptional workload, the state government may now raise the quarterly limit of overtime work from 75 hours to 144 hours, it stated. "Workers performing duties beyond the prescribed daily limit will be entitled to overtime wages at double the ordinary rate of pay," it added. "In a decision aimed at empowering working women, the Uttar Pradesh government has allowed women employees to undertake night shifts with their written consent, while mandating strict safety and welfare measures at every level - from home to workplace," according to a statement issued by the chief minister's PR team on Wednesday. "Employers have been directed to ensure transportation, health facilities, CCTV surveillance, and deployment of security personnel for women working during night hours," the statement said. The move, it said, is intended to enhance women's confidence and participation in the industrial and corporate sectors. To ensure transparency and safety, industries have been asked to adopt digital monitoring systems and appoint safety officers to oversee women's security during night shifts, the statement added. With nearly 36% of the state's workforce comprising women, the government expects this measure to further increase female participation across sectors, the official statement said. More than one crore (10 million) women are already associated with self-help groups in the state, contributing to household income and local industry, the statement added. Soon after the Act got the President's assent, Principal Secretary (Labour) Atul Srivastava said the amendment will make Uttar Pradesh more competitive in industrial development and strengthen the State's progress towards achieving the goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy.With agency inputs...