Assam government has decided that all shops and business establishments will be allowed to remain open 24 hours in Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Silchar. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, the state cabinet has approved a policy allowing shops and business establishments, except liquor outlets, to operate 24 hours a day in the capital city and the two important towns of the state. He said, that in other towns, all shops will be allowed to remain open till 2 am, while the limit will be 11 pm in rural areas. However, the workers will work for a maximum of nine hours. So, there has to be three shifts if anyone wants to operate 24 hours, the Chief Minister said. He said the decision to allow shops to operate 24 hours will help small businesses and eventually lead to the generation of more jobs due to an increased number of shifts.