Saudi Arabia switches to Gregorian calendar
Saudi Arabia switches to Gregorian calendar
Source:Xinhua
October 3, 2016
Saudi Arabia on Sunday switched to the Gregorian calendar or western calendar after the use of Islamic calendar since it was founded in 1932, Al Arabiya local news reported.
The move mainly covers government departments, of which the employees will get less annual salaries than they used to receive, as the Islamic year is about 15 days shorter than the Gregorian year.
The decision came after the cabinet announced last week the reduction of salaries of ministers and Shura members (advisors).
It was part of an austerity package, including cancellation and amendment of civil servants' allowances and rewards, such as canceling the annual bonus.
Saudi Arabia has taken a series of steps to deal with the dropping oil prices in global markets.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1009507.shtml
Comments: The Rana prime minister did the same thing switching from the lunar calendar to the Vikram calendar for paying the labors less, as they needed to pay for 15 days more in the past following the lunar calendar.
Now, it is time for Nepal also to switch to the Gregorian calendar, as following two calendars: Vikram for the local business and the Gregorian for the international has been lousy for the business. Following only one calendar saves time and money for all the Nepalese folks working abroad and in the country.