The Retailers’ Association of India (RAI) has welcomed the Telangana government’s move to permit all shops and retail establishments in the state to remain open until 1:00 am as an ease of doing business (EoDB)-enabling measure. This move will create additional jobs, besides providing flexibility and convenience to customers. The government of Telangana has confirmed that all establishments, except liquor shops, will remain open until 1:00 am. Furthermore, the government has also confirmed that they will allow 24×7 delivery/ takeaway operations for the restaurants.
Speaking on this development, Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO of the Retailers Association of India, said, “Extended hours of operation are a win-win situation for consumers, businesses, and the government. This step gives consumers the flexibility to shop at their convenience. It will also boost tourism in the state and help create jobs. This move will be very good, particularly for the food and beverage industry. It will make the restaurants across the state more vibrant. A vibrant retail environment is critical to economic growth. We hope the government will soon allow all establishments to remain open 24×7 throughout the year.”
The RAI delegation had a series of meetings with the Telangana government to implement the extended hours of operation. It was highlighted that while the 24×7 notification was effective, the local police authorities did not recognise the notification and asked the business to shut operations early.
RAI has been working with various state governments to enable the ease of doing business and has been pursuing various departments to adopt the State Retail Trade Policy and allow retailers to operate 24×7, in line with the state governments of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. Retail in India, which is expected to touch $2 trillion by 2032, continues to be one of the country’s largest industries, accounting for over 10% of the GDP.
