Dhaka: Office hours for the month of Ramadan have been fixed from 9:00am to 3:30pm for government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions.

The cabinet at its regular weekly meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat at about 11:00am on Monday fixed the new office timing with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

As per decision, all offices will have a 15-minute break for Johr prayers from 1:15 to 1:30 PM.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, cabinet secretary Shafiul Alam said, banks, companies and financial institutions will fix their own office time.

Besides, the timing of high courts and all other subordinate courts will be fixed by the Supreme Court, he said.

If the crescent moon sighted on time, Ramadan will start from 17 May.