West Bengal Extends IT Working Hours to 9 Hours Daily

West Bengal will increase the daily working hours limit by 30 minutes for the IT sector from July 1, fulfilling a long-standing industry demand. While the weekly limit remains unchanged at 48 hours, this change will allow IT companies to bill clients for 45 hours instead of 42.5 hours, enhancing their competitiveness.

To meet the requirements of the information technology industry, the West Bengal government is extending the daily working hours limit by 30 minutes starting from July 1, said IT Industry Minister Babul Supriyo on Friday. This change addresses a long-standing demand from the sector.

However, the 48-hour weekly limit remains unchanged, he added. An official government order is expected soon.

Explaining the rationale behind this decision, Supriyo noted that to stay competitive with other states and boost West Bengal's IT sector, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has approved the adjustment, raising the daily working hour limit from 8 hours and 30 minutes to 9 hours.

''The overall weekly working hour limit of 48 hours remains unchanged. The industry had been seeking an increase in the daily working hour limit as they typically follow a 5-day work week. This adjustment allows IT companies to bill their clients for 45 hours instead of 42.5 hours now. It will be effective starting July,'' the minister explained.

By extending the daily hours to 9, the industry stands to benefit by 2.5 hours per week for client billing, which will be financially advantageous and enhance their ability to compete with other states that offer similar working hour flexibility.

As of now, the daily working hours limit, set at 8 hours and 30 minutes, is uniform across both IT and non-IT sectors, according to the state labour department.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)