As the world moves towards a 4-day work week, Maharashtra government employees will finally enjoy five days week

• Starting February 29, the government employees in Maharashtra will enjoy five days of working — instead of six.
  
• The government also extended the present working hours per day by 45 minutes.
  
• The move is expected to benefit as many as 20 lakh officers and employees.
  
• This however excludes police officers, sanitation workers, employees at government colleges and the fire brigade.

Most people end up working six days a week, and sometimes even more — either to meet their own requirements or that of their job. But the recent move by the Maharashtra government — to implement five-day work-week — will bring cheer to the government employees in the state.

Starting February 29, the state government employees will enjoy five days of working — instead of six. Earlier, they had alternate Saturdays off. That means, they had 20 working days in a month.

The move however came with a rider. The government also extended the present working hours per day by 45 minutes. The employees will now work for 7 hours and 45 minutes — including 30 minutes of break.

The decision came out after the cabinet meeting, which was chaired by the CM Uddhav Thackeray on February 12. "With the five-day week, offices all over the state will have the same working hours. Lunch time would be for the maximum 30 minutes between 1 pm and 2 pm," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement.

This comes as a relief to the employees, who have been demanding it for a few years now. The move is expected to benefit as many as 20 lakh officers and employees working in the government departments. The cabinet members said that the development will help employees’ personal lives as well as trim the expenses on fuel and electricity.

This excludes police officers, sanitation workers, employees at the government colleges and the fire brigade.

Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments also work on the five-day week model.

"Due to the five-day week, expenses on electricity, water, diesel and petrol will be saved. Government employees can now spend time with their families which will boost their quality of life," the statement added.

The CMO also stressed that after the five-day work week, the total work days in a year will be 264, while the working hours per month will be 176 and 2112 hours in a year.

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