The Government of Andhra Pradesh on March 12, 2026 issued a notification granting exemptions to shops and commercial establishments under the Andhra Pradesh Shops and Establishments Act, 1988 to enable 24/7 operations in Urban Local Bodies with a population exceeding 4 lakh.
Under the order, establishments are exempted from provisions of Sections 7(1), 7(2), 15(1), and 15(2) of the Act, allowing round-the-clock functioning subject to labour safeguards. The conditions include maximum weekly working hours of 48 hours, payment of overtime wages for additional work, provision of weekly holidays, and compensatory holidays for work on notified holidays.
The notification also allows maintenance of statutory registers in soft copy instead of physical registers and mandates online submission of employee returns through the government portal. The government has clarified that the exemption may be withdrawn at any time if the prescribed conditions are violated.
[Notification No. G.O.Ms. No.5]
