Dhaka, Dec. 6 -- A government instruction makes it a must-do for key scientific agencies to keep their laboratory-testing services open round the clock, weekends and public holidays no exception, to cut the cost of doing business and accelerate trade facilitation.

Officials say the Ministry of Science and Technology under the reformist interim government has directed Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) to ensure uninterrupted analytical services on Fridays and Saturdays-a two-day weekend. The move aims to ease import-export procedures and support faster revenue collection.

Following the government directive, both organisations have dispatched instructions to the...