Representatives of traders said that this is a major step in the direction of ease of doing business.
Traders and businessmen having upto nine employees have been exempted from registration under Shops and Establishment Act, said a state government press statement on Saturday. These businessmen will have to inform the local authorities about their functioning. Representatives of traders said that this is a major step in the direction of ease of doing business.
"These businessmen will not have to face checking or inspection (by local authorities). Anyways, the provision was not serving any purpose," said JN Singh, chief secretary of Gujarat.
Businesses comprising 10 or more employees will have to get registered only once under the Act and are exempt from annual renewals. The move has been a long standing demand of traders. "This is a major step towards 'ease of doing business'. Small traders will have to give a self-disclosure about their functioning. They will not have to undergo checkings and inspection. Close to 95 per cent of the traders will now be exempt from the Act," said Jayendra Tanna, president of Gujarat Traders Federation.
The decision is an icing on the cake after the government decided to allow shops to remain open round the clock. However, businessmen are on a wait and watch mode and are trying to get an idea of how feasible it is to work round the clock.
"There are so many overheads. We need to have additional shifts for workers and see if we get business accordingly," said Dilip Thakkar, owner of Gopi Dining Hall. He feels that as Prohibition Act is in place in Gujarat, there is no culture of eating out late in the night. So as to what extent restaurants and eateries will benefit is still not clear.
The state government said that while shops coming under areas under municipal corporations, national highways, railway stations, state transport depots, hospitals and petrol pumps can operate round the clock, those coming under jurisdictions of municipalities and state highways can operate from 6 am to 2 am.
EASE OF BUSINESS
The decision comes after the government decided to allow shops to remain open round the clock
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