Bangalore considers Curfew on Women Workers

clipped from www.forbes.com In a development that has women’s groups crying foul, the government in India’s high-tech hub of Bangalore is trying to make them stop working after 8 P.M., ostensibly for their own good. Questions about the city's after-dark safety have prompted the proposed work curfew. Interestingly, the huge software export industry and round-the-clock call centers in the state of Karnataka, where Bangalore is, have been exempted. In several states, tech firms get privileges because they are considered essential services and thus don’t have to follow all the rules for other businesses. Services like hospitals and railways are also exempt. For the less-favored industries like media, entertainment, shops and other commercial establishments, employers who violate the proposed law could be put behind bars for up to six months or fined 10,000 rupees ($245.45) to 20,000 rupees ($490.92).