Nepal Government Reintroduces Two-Day Weekly Holiday to Curb Fuel Consumption
Kathmandu. The government has decided to grant a two-day public holiday per week with the aim of reducing fuel consumption and promoting economic austerity. Although this decision may seem new, it has been implemented in the past but failed to sustain.
The Cabinet meeting held on Sunday decided to implement the two-day public holiday on Saturday and Sunday, effective from Monday.
According to government spokesperson and Minister of Education Sasmita Pokharel, this step has been taken to mitigate the difficulties in petroleum supply and to reduce the growing trade deficit.
Under the new arrangement, government offices will now operate from 9 AM to 5 PM. However, Minister Pokharel clarified that these office hours will not apply to educational institutions.
Although similar attempts were made at various times in the past, the government was forced to revert to the previous system due to a lack of full preparation and problems in service delivery.
The practice of a two-day holiday in courts was first exercised in 2047 BS. In 2048 BS, the then Administrative Reform Commission recommended a two-day holiday for cost-cutting and administrative convenience.
Based on the commission's recommendation, a two-day holiday was started in the Kathmandu Valley in 2056 BS, but it did not last long and proved unsuccessful.
Recently, in Mangsir 2077 BS, a committee formed by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation recommended a two-day holiday to promote domestic tourism. Subsequently, in 2079 BS, it was tested for some time, but eventually, the government returned to the decision of a one-day holiday.
The history of office hours and holidays in Nepal dates back to the Rana era. Dev Shumsher first set office hours from 10 AM to 5 PM. Later, Bhim Shumsher reduced it to 10 AM to 4 PM. The practice of a Saturday holiday began during the time of Dev Shumsher, while Bhim Shumsher institutionalized the arrangement of a half-day holiday on Friday and a full holiday on Saturday.
Similarly, Padma Shumsher introduced the practice of setting office hours according to the season (10-4 from Kartik to Magh and 10-5 from Falgun to Kartik).
Whether the government led by Balen Shah can effectively implement this experiment, which has failed multiple times in the past, amidst the fuel crisis and economic pressure, only time will tell.
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