Central Government Officers may have to work 6 days a week

New Delhi: Speculation is rife in various union ministries that the new government under Narendra Modi may revert back to the six-days a week workdays in central government offices after about three decades.

Although there is no move yet by the government in this regard the issue is subject of much discussion among the bureaucrats. It was former PM Rajiv Gandhi who, in the mid-1980s, had decided to go in for the five-day week.

The aim at that time was to promote efficiency since it gave the bureaucrats much-needed rest over the weekend on the assumption that the work-culture would improve during week-days.

The closure of Government offices on Saturdays also resulted in saving of electricity and other expenses of the Centre. But despite the current five-day week, some of the ministers even in the previous UPA-2 government were known to attend office on Saturdays and attend to files and other important work.