A new policy on holidays is on the anvil, because government employees work for just 247 days in a year, Minister of Personnel Harin Pathak said in the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour on Wednesday.

Lalitbhai Mehta (BJP) wanted to know the number of days in a year that the central government employees work, considering that Saturdays, Sundays, gazetted holidays, restricted holidays and various types of leave were available to them.

They also had a five-day week. Mehta wanted to know if the government was considering the restoration of a six-day week.

Though Pathak parried the question on the restoration of a six-day week, on the grounds that though the Fifth Pay Commission had indeed recommended a six-day week, the group of ministers, set up to consider the Fifth Pay Commission report, had turned the suggestion down.

However, he agreed with Rajiv Shukla (Congress) and PC Alexander that holidays for government servants had to be rationalised.

Alexander suggested that religious holidays should be observed by people belonging to that religion and not result in a shutdown of the whole nation.

"Government servants exist for the convenience of the people. People do not exist for the convenience of government servants," he said.

Alexander said there was no reason why Lord Mahavir's birthday or Good Friday should be observed by the entire country when most people did not even know what these festivals denoted.

There was a moment of levity when Laloo Prasad Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal) suggested that the retirement age of government servants should be brought back to 58.

"Have you done it (in your state)," Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat asked. "I am part of India. When India does it, I will also do it," Yadav said amid laughter.