Muslims in Bangladesh begin fasting from Sunday as the moon of holy month Ramadan was sighted on Saturday evening.
The National Moon Sighting Committee took the decision in a meeting, chaired by State Minister of Ministry of Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan, held at Islamic Foundation's conference room at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the evening.
Ahead of the holy month, the government has already rescheduled office hours for all government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions.
Offices will run from 9am to 3:30pm during the month.
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Meanwhile, the banking and financial institutions to operate from 9:30am to 4pm.
Besides, the government has instructed schools and colleges to continue classes till April 26 in compliance with Covid-19 guidelines.
Muslims in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, began fasting a day early. Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, is celebrating Ramadan from Saturday.
Muslims in areas of Chandpur, Faridpur, and Patuakhali in Bangladesh follow the Saudi calendar and have begun fasting Ramadan.
Ramadan is a holy month for the world's more than 1.5 billion Muslims. During the lunar month, Muslims fast from sunrise to dark.