ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday announced new office hours for government employees, a new policy for state television and austerity measures approved after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, ARY News reported.

The minister announced that the government has decided to keep Saturday a holiday but the office hours have been extended so all government employees will now work from 9AM to 5PM instead of the older timing 8AM-3PM.

Rumours were doing rounds that the government will announce a 48-hour (six-day) working week but the minister announced that the government has instead changed the working hours and will also make sure the bureaucrats duly attend offices.

“There is a trend among government employees that they normally don’t return to work after Friday prayers but we will make sure all government employees complete their work hours,” said Chaudhry.

Revamping the state-owned media

About the plans to revamp the state television, he said that political Censorship has been removed from state television and radio and the government has also decided to include PPP and PMLN members on the editorial board of both the Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan to ensure equal representation.

“We want PTV English to play the role of a regional player, to propagate Pakistan’s narrative to the world and to uplift the image of Pakistan,” added the minister.

Ban on discretionary funds

The minister announced that the cabinet has decided to ban the use of discretionary funds of the president, premier and MNAs.

He said that the previous government had used Rs51 billion in discretionary funds in the last year alone, of which Rs21bn was used by former PM Nawaz Sharif, while Rs30bn was given to MNAs to spend.

The minister said that from now onwards, before any infrastructural project is announced, it would be discussed in Parliament and then funds would be released.

Chaudhry announced that the cabinet has also decied that the prime minister, the president, foreign minister, the Senate chairman, national assembly speaker and chief justice will no longer have the prerogative of flying first class and will instead travel in club class.

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