Hyderabad: The governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have announced early leave for Muslim employees during the holy month of Ramadan. The move aims to support employees in observing prayers and fasting routines.
In Telangana, Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao issued a memo granting permission for Muslim government employees to leave offices at 4 p.m. from February 19 to March 20. The order applies to teachers, contract and outsourcing staff, and employees of boards, corporations, and public sector units. Authorities stated employees must remain on duty in case of service exigencies.
The Director of School Education also revised school hours for Ramzan. From February 19 to March 20, Urdu medium government and aided schools, including Urdu sections in parallel medium schools and DIET colleges, will operate from 8 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. Upper primary and secondary schools will add one extra working day to compensate for reduced hours. Primary schools will extend the schedule by 30 minutes on two separate days. Officials have directed district and regional officers to ensure compliance.
In Andhra Pradesh, the government issued similar orders. Minister of Minority Welfare N.M.D. Farooq said the relaxation will run from February 18 to March 19. The facility covers Muslim employees across departments, including teachers, contract staff, outsourcing personnel, and those working in village and ward secretariats such as Swarnagrama and Swarnaward.
Departmental heads and district Collectors have received instructions to implement the policy uniformly. Except during emergencies, Muslim employees will leave one hour before official closing time to attend prayers.
