KATHMANDU: The government has initiated a review of Nepal’s public holiday system, setting up a task force to assess whether the current number and structure of holidays remain appropriate after the introduction of the two-day weekend.

The decision was taken at a meeting of government secretaries on Monday, chaired by newly appointed Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karki.

According to the Chief Secretary’s Office, the review committee will be coordinated by a Joint Secretary from the Ministry of Home Affairs. It will include representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, and the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.

The task force has been given 15 days to examine the existing public holiday framework, evaluate its relevance and impact, and recommend whether any changes are necessary. Its findings will be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The review comes in the wake of the government’s implementation of a two-day weekend system, under which Saturdays and Sundays are now designated as weekly holidays.