Nepal has announced a two-day weekly holiday for government offices in response to a shortage of petroleum products linked to Iran war, officials said on Sunday.
Under the new decision, Saturday and Sunday will now be observed as weekly holidays for government offices, a shift from the earlier system where only Saturday was a day off.
Government spokesperson Sasmita Pokharel said the decision also sets new working hours for government offices, which will now function from 9 AM to 5 PM.
Pokharel added that the move has been taken due to an uncomfortable situation arising from disruptions in petroleum supply. The new arrangement will come into effect from Monday.
The spokesperson further said that government offices and educational institutions will remain closed on both Saturday and Sunday. However, a Cabinet meeting decided that the 9 am to 5 pm working hours will apply to government offices excluding educational institutions.
Until now, government offices in Nepal operated from 10 am to 5 pm. With the revised schedule, working hours have been extended by one hour in the morning.
Earlier, Nepal increased aviation fuel prices by up to 117.4% for international flights, effective after midnight on Tuesday.
State-run Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) said increases of 84.7%, 116.2% and 117.4% for international flights from Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bhairahawa, respectively, were needed to make payments to Indian Oil Corporation on time and avoid further supply disruptions.
