Hyderabad, Feb 17 (NationPress) The government of Telangana has authorized all Muslim employees to conclude their workday one hour early during the sacred month of Ramzan. Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao issued a memo on Tuesday, permitting all Muslim government workers, educators, contract and outsourced personnel, as well as employees from boards, corporations, and the public sector, to leave their workplaces and schools by 4 p.m. throughout Ramzan.

This allowance will be effective from February 19 to March 20 (inclusive) to facilitate prayers, barring instances where their presence is essential due to service emergencies during this period.

In addition, the Director of School Education for Telangana has formally approved a change in school hours during Ramzan. Starting February 19 until March 20, all Urdu medium government and aided educational institutions, alongside Urdu sections within parallel medium schools and DIET colleges, will hold classes from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

To compensate for the decreased instructional time during this period, upper primary and secondary educational institutions are obligated to extend their schedules by working an additional day. Primary schools will need to lengthen their daily hours by 30 minutes on two separate working days.

Regional and district education officers have been tasked with ensuring that all school principals and headmasters implement these adjustments and fulfill the compensatory work requirements as previously established.

The Andhra Pradesh government has also issued directives allowing Muslim employees in government offices and educational settings to leave an hour early during Ramzan for prayer observance. Minister of Minority Welfare N.M.D. Farooq announced last week that this relaxation will be applicable from February 18 to March 19.

This provision will extend to all Muslim employees across government departments, including teachers, contract staff, outsourcing personnel, and those working in village and ward secretariats - Swarnagrama and Swarnaward secretariats.

According to an official statement, this concession aims to assist employees in practicing their religious duties during the fasting month. The government has already dispatched formal orders to all departmental heads and district Collectors, instructing them to strictly and uniformly enforce these guidelines. Outside of emergencies, Muslim employees will be permitted to leave an hour prior to the official end of working hours to attend prayers.