Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that his government is planning to implement “work from home” policies for women in the state in “a big way” under the Information Technology (IT) and Global Capability Centers (GCCs) policy 4.0.
Posting on X, Naidu also extended greetings to women and girls working in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sector on International Day of Women and Girls in Science. “Today, we celebrate their achievements and commit ourselves to providing them equal and full access to growth opportunities in these fields,” he said.
The TDP leader also noted that the work landscape significantly shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic, as ready access to technology helped “work from home” gain prominence.
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“Concepts such as remote work, coworking spaces (CWS), and Neighbourhood Workspaces (NWS) can empower businesses and employees alike to create flexible, productive work environments,” Naidu said.
“Such initiatives can help us strike a better work-life balance as well. We plan to harness these trends to drive meaningful change in AP. The Andhra Pradesh IT & GCC Policy 4.0 is a game-changing step in that direction. We’re offering incentives for developers to create IT office spaces in every city/town/mandal and supporting IT/GCC firms to generate employment at the grassroots,” he added.
Naidu expressed hope that these initiatives will foster greater workforce participation from women professionals, who can benefit through flexible remote/hybrid work options.
Does India have a WFH policy?
India does not have a nationwide work-from-home policy, but companies in specific sectors allow employees to avail themselves of such options.
The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Act Rules 2006 allow employees travelling to and offsite employees of SEZs to be permitted to work from home or a place outside the SEZ, subject to specific conditions.
“For the purpose of work from home, Special Economic Zone unit shall provide laptop or desktop and secured connectivity (for, e.g Virtual Private network, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure) to establish a connection between the employee and work related to the project of the Special Economic Zone unit,” reads rule 43(c) under the act.
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WFH in Delhi
In the national capital, the Delhi government has been implementing work-from-home policies under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) when air pollution levels reach “severe” levels.
In November 2024, when air quality reached hazardous levels, the government mandated that 50% of its employees work from home and encouraged private organizations to adopt similar measures.