The interim government has revised office timings for the upcoming month of Ramadan from 9:00am to 3:30pm for all government, semi-government, autonomous, and semi-autonomous institutions.

The decision was taken at the weekly meeting of the council of advisers on Thursday at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Dhaka with chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair.

At present, the government, semi-government, autonomous, and semi-autonomous organisations remain open from 9:00am to 5:00pm with a one-hour break for lunch and the Zuhr prayers from 1:00pm.

After the cabinet meeting, chief adviser’s press secretary Shafiqul Alam disclosed the revised office timing at a briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.

He said that there would be a 15-minute break from 1:00pm to 1:15pm for the Zuhr prayers in the office time during the month of Ramadan.

Following the approval at the advisory council meeting, the public administration ministry will formally announce the decision through a gazette notification.

Banks, insurance companies, financial institutions, the post, the railway, hospitals, state-run mills and factories, and other emergency service-providing organisations, however, will be allowed to fix their own office timing considering their own laws and public interest, said officials.

The holy month of Ramadan is expected to begin on February 19 subject to sighting of the moon, according to the Islamic Foundation.