Odisha Govt Declares Fourth Saturday As General Holiday For Employees

Bhubaneswar: In a significant announcement, the Odisha government has announced the fourth Saturday of every month as a general holiday for state government employees.

A communication issued by the General Administration Department said the decision has been taken to make the administration more citizen-centric.

But how?

Addressing senior officials on Saturday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged them to be more citizen-centric in their actions.

Stressing on five Ts  – technology, teamwork, transparency and time leading to transformation, he asked the officials to follow these goals for an efficient administration.

He emphasised on collecting feedback from patients in hospitals, from citizens in tehsil offices and so on, for providing good governance.

The holiday on the fourth Saturday of the month will be utilised by the staff to achieve the set of goals.

The communication by the GA department also said that offices shall function from 10 AM to 5.30 PM with a half-an-hour lunch break from 1.30 PM to 2 PM.

The revised timings will, however, not be applicable to vacation departments and the decision will come into immediate effect.