<p> The government today said it is "pro-actively" considering the matter of having two separate time zones in the country.<br /><br />The issue was raised in the Lok Sabha by BJD member B Mahtab who highlighted that there was a gap of nearly two hours in sunrise timings between the eastern and the western parts of the country.</p>.<p>"Sun rises at 4 am in Arunachal Pradesh while offices open at 10 AM. The Ministry of Science and Technology has also done a study on this in the past," Mahtab said.<br /><br />He said some 2.7 billion units of electricity could be saved if there are two separate time zones and added that only the Centre can take a call on office timings.<br /><br />Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government has taken Mahtab's suggestion very "seriously".<br /><br />"He has raised a very important and sensitive matter. The government is pro-actively considering the issue," he said.<br /><br />As the Lok Sabha was earlier adjourned after the opposition alleged that the government was ignoring the well- being of farmers, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan expressed happiness over the matter being discussed, saying "some constructive work" is happening in the House.</p>
<p> The government today said it is "pro-actively" considering the matter of having two separate time zones in the country.<br /><br />The issue was raised in the Lok Sabha by BJD member B Mahtab who highlighted that there was a gap of nearly two hours in sunrise timings between the eastern and the western parts of the country.</p>.<p>"Sun rises at 4 am in Arunachal Pradesh while offices open at 10 AM. The Ministry of Science and Technology has also done a study on this in the past," Mahtab said.<br /><br />He said some 2.7 billion units of electricity could be saved if there are two separate time zones and added that only the Centre can take a call on office timings.<br /><br />Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government has taken Mahtab's suggestion very "seriously".<br /><br />"He has raised a very important and sensitive matter. The government is pro-actively considering the issue," he said.<br /><br />As the Lok Sabha was earlier adjourned after the opposition alleged that the government was ignoring the well- being of farmers, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan expressed happiness over the matter being discussed, saying "some constructive work" is happening in the House.</p>