Hyderabad: Muslim government employees in Telangana will be permitted to leave offices early during the fasting month of Ramadan.
The state government has issued an order allowing Muslim employees to leave offices an hour early during the holy month, expected to begin on March 2.
“Government hereby permit all Government Muslim Government Employees/ Teachers/ Contract/ Out-sourcing/ Boards/ Corporations & Public Sector employees working in the State to leave their Offices/ Schools at 4.00 p.m. during the Holy Month of “RAMADAN” i.e., from 02-03-2025 to 31-03-2025 (both days inclusive) to offer necessary prayers, except when their presence is required due to exigencies of services during the above period,” reads the Government Order.
Successive governments in united Andhra Pradesh allowed Muslim employees to leave offices early during Ramadan.
After the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana government continued the tradition.
Meanwhile, the Telangana Waqf Board has issued funds to pay arrears of the monthly honorarium for imams and muezzins. It has released Rs.15.37 crore to pay arrears for two months to 10,700 imams and muezzins across the state.
The amount has been released, keeping in view the holy month of Ramadan. Imams and muezzins get Rs.5,000 honorarium every month. They had not received the honorarium for the last four months. Following demands from various quarters, it has finally released the funds.
The scheme of honorarium was introduced in 2016 by then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on a demand made by AIMIM leader in Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi.
When the scheme was first introduced, imams and muezzins were receiving Rs.1,000 per month. In 2018, this was increased to Rs.1,500. Ahead of Assembly polls in 2023, the then BRS government had announced an honorarium of Rs 5,000 per month.
