Kathmandu, April 27
The government has adopted a two-day weekend provision beginning from May 15, 2022.
A cabinet meeting held on Tuesday made the decision, according to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s press coordinator Govinda Pariyar.
Pariyar says from now onwards, the office hours, however, have been expanded to 9:30 am – 5:30 pm.
With the decision, government offices and most private offices too will close on Saturdays and Sundays. Until now, Nepal closes its offices on Saturdays only.
The decision is primarily aimed at cutting down fuel consumption as the import of petroleum products has been blamed for depleting the foreign exchange reserves of the country. Hence, the government says the decision is provisional.
Nonetheless, some government officials including former Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai have been proposing the two-day weekend provision to promote domestic tourism for the past few years. But, some stakeholders have criticised the proposal as impractical, blocking its implementation process. But, the imminent economic crisis forced the government to change its mind now.
