Odisha declares 4th Saturdays as holidays

Odisha government employees will now get holiday on the fourth Saturday of every month, besides the second Saturday.

In an order on Saturday, the government also announced new office hours which will be half an hour more than the existing hours.

Offices will function from 10 am to 5.30 pm with half an hour lunch break from 1.30 pm to 2 pm.

Currently, duty hours in most offices are 10 am to 5 pm with an hour lunch break between 1 pm to 2 pm.

The new timings are not applicable to vacation departments, the order said.

The announcement came hours after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a meeting of senior officers at the state secretariat here.

Noting that a government wins the trust of people by doing good works, Patnaik said, "We have now reached a certain stage in development and governance from where we should take a leap to the next level. People's aspirations should motivate us to provide effective service."