UP Cabinet Expands Shops Act to Cover Clinics, Consultants

The Cabinet has amended the UP Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1962, to cover any establishment employing 20 or more workers.

Written by Maulshree Seth

Updated: November 15, 2025 12:34 PM IST

3 min read

It also approved automatic identification of old-age pension beneficiaries through the Family ID system.

The UP Cabinet has widened the Shops Act to include clinics, architects, tax consultants and other establishments employing 20 or more workers. (File photo)

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Friday cleared a proposal to extend the scope of the UP Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1962, to cover any establishment employing 20 or more workers such as medical clinics, tax consultants, architects etc. The aim, officials said, is to safeguard workers’ rights. The Act has also been expanded from urban areas to the entire state, covering all districts and rural areas as well.

In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved a proposal under which old-age pension beneficiaries will be automatically identified through the ‘Family ID-One Family, One Identification System’, and benefits will be transferred directly.

Giving details of the amendment to the Act, Labour Minister Anil Rajbhar said it will now apply to establishments employing 20 or more workers across the state. This will allow smaller establishments to continue their economic activities without additional burden, whereas employees in larger establishments will receive all benefits under the Act.

“The government believes this will further accelerate business activity in the state. By expanding the scope of the Act, the government has also included medical facilities such as clinics, polyclinics and maternity homes, architects, tax consultants, technical consultants, service providers, service platforms, and other similar commercial establishments under the law. This will also provide employees working in these establishments the right to safe working conditions and benefits,” said the minister.

Officials said the move to include shops and commercial establishments in rural areas under the Act aims to ensure that the maximum number of workers receive legal protection and their rights are safeguarded.

As for the old-age pension proposal, Social Welfare Minister (Independent Charge) Asim Arun said senior citizens who are eligible will not be required to apply separately for pension. “The Family ID (One Family, One Identity) system will automatically identify eligible beneficiaries. On receiving their consent, pension will be approved directly.”

At present, there are 67.50 lakh senior citizens availing pension. “But a large number of people are left out as they are unable to complete the process. The decision is aimed at solving this problem. Under the new system, a list of citizens who will turn 60 in the next 90 days will be automatically generated based on their family ID. This list will be sent to the Social Welfare Department’s pension portal via API,” informed the minister.

Story continues below this ad

He added that the department will initially seek consent from eligible citizens through digital channels such as SMS, WhatsApp, and phone calls. For those who cannot provide digital consent, a Gram Panchayat assistant, Common Service Centre, or departmental employee will reach out to them in person.

Arun said the idea behind the initial verification is to ensure that those nearing the age of 60 years are alive and their income status has not changed.

The Cabinet also passed a resolution to condemn the Delhi blast. It also congratulated the Indian Women’s Cricket team, including UP’s Deepti Sharma, for their first World Cup win.

From the homepage