Delhi government ends work-from-home policy and updates office hours

The Delhi government has withdrawn the work-from-home arrangement on Wednesdays and Saturdays for government employees, citing the “normalisation” of the geopolitical situation. The Chief Minister’s Office announced on July 4 that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has approved the rollback of these measures, with a formal order expected to be issued the same day.

Alongside the withdrawal of the work-from-home facility, office hours for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) have been revised. The new timings will be from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM. However, office timings for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will remain unchanged, continuing from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

This decision reverses the austerity and fuel-saving measures previously introduced by the Delhi government. In May, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta implemented various initiatives to reduce pollution, ease traffic congestion, and cut fuel consumption following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for economic resilience amid uncertainties related to the West Asia conflict.

The earlier policy included two work-from-home days per week, a “Metro Monday” scheme encouraging public transport use by ministers and senior officials, a one-year freeze on official foreign visits, and a six-month ban on purchasing new petrol, diesel, CNG, or hybrid vehicles for the Delhi government. The Chief Minister had also encouraged citizens to observe a weekly “No Vehicle Day” and promoted maximising online hearings and lectures to reduce transportation needs.

With the current situation considered stable, the government has returned to regular office operations while maintaining staggered office timings to better manage city traffic.