Rajasthan Assembly clears three key bills amid ruckus over crop damage

Jaipur, Sep 4 (IANS) A stormy session rocked the Rajasthan Assembly on Thursday as Congress MLAs created a ruckus over crop losses caused by heavy rains.

The uproar forced the House to be adjourned twice – yet, in the middle of the chaos, three major bills were passed by voice vote, reshaping labour laws, state finances, and GST rules. When the House resumed at 2 pm after being adjourned at around 12.30 pm, Congress MLAs stormed into the well, shouting slogans and demanding immediate relief for farmers.

Speaker Vasudev Devnani repeatedly appealed for calm, saying, “I got the answer from the minister, but you people did not listen. Your MLAs came to the well and were misbehaving – I will not tolerate this.”

Despite warnings, the sloganeering continued, and proceedings were disrupted again. The second sitting lasted just 33 minutes before the proceedings were wrapped up.

Even with the protests, the Assembly managed to push through three significant bills. These include Factory (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2025, Rajasthan Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2025 and Rajasthan GST (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025..

The highlight of the day was the Factory (Rajasthan Amendment) Bill, 2025, which Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara said would “empower workers, encourage women’s participation, and attract new industrial investment.”

The amendment allows longer shifts as workers can now stay in factories for 10.5 hours a day.

Allowing fewer breaks and more flexibility, it allows up to 6 hours of work without a break. The overtime expansion has been allowed as the work limit was raised to 144 hours per quarter, almost double the earlier 75.

The bill allows night shifts for women with written consent, paving the way for greater women’s empowerment.

The move, Godara said, will not only boost productivity but also benefit migrant labourers and strengthen Rajasthan’s investment climate. Sumit Godara said the changes to the Factories Act, 1948, would benefit workers, empower women by allowing night shifts with consent, and boost industrial productivity.

The bill also raised daily working hours to 10.5, allowed 6-hour shifts without a break, and expanded overtime to 144 hours per quarter, he added.

Under the Rajasthan Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2025, Finance Minister Diya Kumari secured approval for an additional Rs 2,575.75 crore from the Consolidated Fund for the financial year 2025–26.

For the GST (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, state health minister Gajendra Singh said higher GST collections had already repaid central loans and funded state development projects.

A proposal to circulate the bill for public opinion was rejected. After the bills were cleared, Speaker Devnani adjourned the Assembly until Monday, September 8.

Thursday’s session highlighted both the urgency of farmer distress and the government’s determination to push through reforms.

While Congress focused on crop damage, the ruling bench touted the passage of three key bills as a step toward labour empowerment, fiscal stability, and industrial growth, said BJP workers

–IANS

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