India's state banks to observe half-day closure on Jan 22 for Ram Mandir opening

PUBLIC sector banks and federal government offices in India will observe a half-day closure on Monday (22) on the occasion of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in the northern town of Ayodhya. According to an official communique, besides the banks, insurance companies, financial institutions and regional rural banks will remain shut. The department of personnel and training under the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions announced the closure of federal government offices till 2.30 pm Indian local time on Monday.

The decision was taken to allow employees to take part in the celebrations, it was said officially.

In a note on Thursday (18), India's Press Information Bureau said, “To enable employees to participate in the celebrations, it has been decided that all Central Government Offices, Central Institutions and Central Industrial Establishments throughout India will be closed for half day till 1430 hours on January 22."

Read: Why PM Modi sleeping on floor ahead of Ram Mandir inauguration

Several activities and events have been planned by organisations and groups of people across the country and in many other countries to coincide with the consecration ceremony. The day of the ceremony will witness thousands of high-profile guests from various walks of life attending the temple. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 12.20 pm local time and conclude by 1 pm.

Several states to observe closure -- half or full

Several state governments also announced a holiday -- full or half -- on the occasion of the consecration ceremony. Most of them are ruled by prime minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

Read: Ahead of Jan 22 opening, Ram Lalla idol installed in Ayodhya temple

In Uttar Pradesh where Ayodhya is located, the local government announced a closure for all educational institutions on Monday. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath called the occasion a "national festival" and said all liquor outlets in the state will remain closed on the day.

The government of the western state of Gujarat, the home state of Modi and ruled by his BJP, said all state offices and institutes will remain closed till 2.30 pm on Monday in order to enable people to take part in the festivities.

In Haryana, which is also governed by the BJP, schools will remain closed and no alcohol will be sold on the day.

The government of Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP returned to power last month, also took a similar decision.

The government of Rajasthan said it will observe a half-day closure on the occasion.

In Goa, the government declared a holiday for government servants and schools. Its BJP chief minister Pramod Sawant said the day should be celebrated like the Hindu festival of Diwali across the state.

Half-day closures will also be observed in BJP-ruled states such as Tripura, Assam and Chhattisgarh.

The western state of Maharashtra announced a public holiday on the day.

Odisha, a state which is not ruled by the BJP, also decided to observe a half-day closure.

(With agency inputs)