{"id":3580,"date":"2026-09-10T16:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T10:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sgcms.com\/regulatory-updates\/?p=3580"},"modified":"2026-09-22T17:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T12:05:00","slug":"andaman-and-nicobar-islands-shops-and-establishments-amendment-rules-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sgcms.com\/regulatory-updates\/andaman-and-nicobar-islands-shops-and-establishments-amendment-rules-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Andaman and Nicobar Islands Shops and Establishments (Amendment) Rules, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Andaman & Nicobar Administration has notified sweeping amendments to the A&N Islands Shops and Establishments Rules, 2005, moving the Union Territory toward round-the-clock shop operations<\/strong>, digitised registration, and a detailed new framework for women’s safety in night-shift work. The amendment follows a draft published on 15 June 2026 (A&N Gazette Extraordinary No. 222); no objections were received during the 45-day consultation window, and the final Rules were notified as-is.<\/p>\n

The Rules come into force from the date of gazette publication \u2014 12 August 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Key changes at a glance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Area<\/th>\nWhat’s changed<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Registration<\/strong><\/td>\nFully electronic, auto-approval, no prior approval required; certificate valid for the lifetime of the establishment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weekly closure requirement<\/strong><\/td>\nRule 5 of the Principal Rules (weekly closure) omitted<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Operating hours<\/strong><\/td>\nShops and establishments may now operate 24×7<\/strong>, subject to conditions<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weekly working hours<\/strong><\/td>\nCapped at 48 hours<\/strong>; overtime payable beyond that under S.8(1) of the A&N Islands Shops and Establishments Regulations, 2004<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Weekly off<\/strong><\/td>\nOne day’s rest per week on a rotational basis, with a compensatory holiday (with wages) within 30 days if an employee is required to work on their weekly off<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Women’s night shift<\/strong><\/td>\nPermitted (7:00 PM\u20136:00 AM) subject to an extensive list of safeguards (below)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Registration harmonisation<\/strong><\/td>\nNew Rule 12A reconciles registration requirements with the OSH&WC Code, 2020<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Challans<\/strong><\/td>\nWord “Challan” replaced with “electronically” in Rule 12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

1. Registration: now fully electronic<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rule 4 has been substituted. Establishments now submit Form-A<\/strong> electronically along with prescribed fees; a Form-B<\/strong> registration certificate is issued electronically on auto-approval<\/strong>, with no prior approval step<\/strong>. The certificate remains valid for the lifetime of the establishment<\/strong>, until closure is intimated under Section 6 of the 2004 Regulations.<\/p>\n

2. 24×7 operations \u2014 the conditions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rule 8 has been substituted to permit shops and establishments to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, subject to a detailed set of conditions:<\/p>\n