Holidays to be Observed in Central Government Offices During the Year 2026

F.No. 12/2/2023-JCA
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
(Department of Personnel and Training)
Establishment (JCA) Section

North Block, New Delhi
Dated the 3rd July, 2025

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

Subject: Holidays to be observed in Central Government Offices during the year 2026-reg.

It has been decided that the holidays, as specified in the Annexure-I to this O.M., will be observed in all the Administrative Offices of the Central Government located at Delhi/New Delhi during the year 2026. In addition, each employee will also be allowed to avail himself/herself of any two holidays to be chosen by him/her out of the list of Restricted Holidays specified at Annexure-II.

2. Central Government Administrative Offices located outside Delhi / New Delhi shall observe the following holidays compulsorily in addition to three holidays, to be chosen out of the 12 optional holidays indicated below at para 3.1.

1. REPUBLIC DAY
2. INDEPENDENCE DAY
3. MАНАТМА GANDHI’S BIRTHDAY
4. BUDDHA PURNIMA
5. CHRISTMAS DAY
6. DUSSEHRA (VIJAY DASHMI)
7. DIWALI (DEEPAVALI)
8. GOOD FRIDAY
9. GURU NANAK’S BIRTHDAY
10. IDU’L FITR
11. IDU’L ZUHA
12. MAHAVIR JAYANTI
13. MUHARRAM
14. PROРНЕТ МОНAMMAD’S BIRTHDAY (ID-E-MILAD)

3.1. For offices located in New Delhi/Delhi, three holidays are selected by the D/O Personnel & Training and for the offices located outside Delhi/New Delhi, three holidays are to be chosen by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee of the State/Capitals, if necessary, in consultation with Coordination Committees at other places in the State, from the list indicated below. The final list, applicable uniformly to all Central Government offices, within the concerned State, shall be notified accordingly and the change can be carried out hereafter. It is also clarified that the change is permissible in the concerned State, as indicated at Annexure-I and Annexure-II barring a few exceptions indicated at para 5.1 and 5.2 hereinafter. The 12 optional holidays are as follows:

1. AN ADDITIONAL DAY FOR DUSSEHRA
2. HOLI
3. JANMASHTAMI (VAISHNAVI)
4. RAM NAVAMI
5. MAHA SHIVRATRI
6. GANESH CHATURTHI / VINAYAK CHATURTHI
7. MAKAR SANKRANTI
8. RATH YATRA
9. ONAM
10. PONGAL
11. SRI PANCHAMI / BASANT PANCHAMI
12. VISHU / VAISAKHI / VAISAKHADI / BHAG BIHU / MASHADI / UGADI / CHAITRA SUKLADI / CHETI CHAND / GUDI PADAVA / 1ST NAVRATRA / NAORAZ / CHHATH POOJA / KARVA CHAUTH

3.2 No substitute holidays should be allowed if any of the festival holidays, initially declared, subsequently happens to fall on a weekly off or any other non-working day or in the event of more than one festival falling on the same day.

4. The list of Restricted Holidays appended as Annexure-II to this O.M. is meant for Central Government Offices located in Delhi / New Delhi. The Coordination Committees of the State Capitals may draw up a separate list of Restricted Holidays keeping in view the occasions of local importance. However, the 3 occasions left over, after choosing the 3 variable holidays in para 3.1 above, are also to be included in the list of restricted holidays.

5.1. For offices in Delhi / New Delhi, any change in the date of holidays in respect of Idul Fitr, Idul Zuha, Muharram, and Id-e-Milad, if necessary, depending upon the sighting of the Moon, would be declared by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, after ascertaining the position from the Govt. of NCT of Delhi (DCP, Special Branch, Delhi Police).

5.2. For offices outside Delhi / New Delhi, the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committees at the State Capitals are authorized to change the date of holiday, if necessary, based on the decision of the concerned State Governments / Union Territories, in respect of Idul Fitr, Idul Zuha, Muharram, and Id-e-Milad.

5.3. It may happen that the change of date in respect of the above occasions has to be declared at a very short notice. In such a situation, an announcement could be made through P.I.B/T.V./A.I.R/Newspapers and the Heads of Department / Offices of the Central Government may take action according to such an announcement, without waiting for a formal order, about the change of date.

6. During 2026, Diwali (Deepavali) falls on Sunday, November 08, 2026 (Kartika 17). In certain States, the practice is to celebrate the occasion a day in advance, i.e., on ‘Naraka Chaturdasi Day’. In view of this, there is no objection if a holiday on account of Deepavali is observed on ‘Naraka Chaturdasi Day’ (in place of Deepavali Day) in the Central Government Offices in a State if in that State that day alone is declared as a compulsory holiday for Diwali for the offices of the State Government.
7. Central Government Organisations which include industrial, commercial, and trading establishments would observe up to 16 holidays in a year including three national holidays viz. Republic Day, Independence Day, and Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday, as compulsory holidays. The list of holidays in respect of Idul Fitr, Idul Zuha, Muharram, and Id-e-Milad for such organisations should be decided by the Union Territories/organisations themselves for the year 2026, subject to para 3.2 above.
8. Union Territory Administrations shall decide the list of holidays in terms of instructions issued in this regard by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
9. In respect of Indian Missions abroad, the number of holidays may be notified in accordance with the instructions contained in this Department’s O.M. No.12/5/2002-JCA dated 17th December, 2002. In other words, they will have the option to select 12 (Twelve) holidays of their own only after including in the list, three National Holidays, Id-ul-Fitr, and Diwali, included in the list of compulsory holidays and falling on days of weekly off.
10. In respect of Banks, the holidays shall be regulated in terms of the extant instructions issued by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance.
11. Hindi version will follow.

(Parveen Jargar)
Deputy Secretary to the Govt. of India

ANNEXURE-I

LIST OF HOLIDAYS FOR THE YEAR 2026 TO BE OBSERVED IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT LOCATED AT DELHI / NEW DELHI

S.No.	Holiday	Date	Saka Date	Day
SAKA ERA 1947
1.	Republic Day	January 26	Magha 06	Monday
2.	Holi	March 04	Phalguna 13	Wednesday
3.	ld-ul-Fitr	March 21	Phalguna 30	Saturday
SAKA ERA 1948
4.	Ram Navami	March 26	Chaitra 05	Thursday
5.	Mahavir Jayanti	March 31	Chaitra 10	Tuesday
6.	Good Friday	April 03	Chaitra 13	Friday
7.	Budha Purnima	May 01	Vaisakha 11	Friday
8.	ld-ul-Zuha (Bakrid)	May 27	Jyaishtha 06	Wednesday
9.	Muharram	June 26	Ashadha 05	Friday
10.	Independence Day	August 15	Sravana 24	Saturday
11.	Milad-un-Nabi or Id-e-Milad Birthday of Prophet Mohammad)	August 26	Bhadra 04	Wednesday
12.	Janmashtami (Vaishnva)	September 04	Bhadra 13	Friday
13.	Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday	October 02	Asvina 10	Friday
14.	Dussehra	October 20	Asvina 28	Tuesday
15.	Diwali (Deepavali)	November 08	Kartika 17	Sunday
16.	Guru Nanak’s Birthday	November 24	Agrahayana 03	Tuesday
17.	Christmas Day	December 25	Pausha 04	Friday

ANNEXURE-II

LIST OF RESTRICTED HOLIDAYS FOR THE YEAR 2026 IN RESPECT OF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES OF CENTRAL GOVERNMENT LOCATED AT DELHI / NEW DELHI

S.No	Holiday	Date	Saka Date	Day
1.	New Year’s Day	January 01	Pausha 11	Wednesday
2.	Hazarat Ali’s Birthday	January 03	Pausha 13	Friday
3.	Makar Sankranti	January 14	Pausha 24	Tuesday
4.	Magha Bihu / Pongal	January 14	Pausha 24	Tuesday
5.	Sri Panchami, Basant Panchami	January 23	Magha 03	Thursday
6.	Guru Ravi Das’s Birthday	February 01	Magha 12	Saturday
7.	Birthday of Swami Dayananda Saraswati	February 12	Magha 23	Wednesday
8.	Maha Shivratri	February 15	Magha 26	Saturday
9.	Shiva Jayanti	February 19	Magha 30	Wednesday
10.	Holika Dahan	March 03	Phalguna 12	Tuesday
11.	Dolyatra	March 03	Phalguna 12	Tuesday
12.	Chaitra Sukladi / Gudi Padava / Ugadi / Cheti Chand	March 19	Phalguna 29	Wednesday
13.	Jamat-Ul-Vida	March 20	Phalguna 29	Thursday
14.	Easter Sunday	April 05	Chaitra 15	Sunday
15.	Vaisakhi / Vishu / Meshadi (Tamil New Year’s Day)	April 14	Chaitra 24	Tuesday
16.	Vaisakhadi (Bengal) / Bahag Bihu (Assam)	April 15	Chaitra 25	Wednesday
17.	Birthday of Rabindranath Tagore	May 09	Vaisakha 19	Saturday
18.	Rath Yatra	July 16	Ashadha 25	Thursday
19.	Parsi New Year’s Day / Nauraj	August 15	Sravana 24	Saturday
20.	Onam or Thiru Onam Day	August 26	Bhadra 04	Wednesday
21.	Raksha Bandhan	August 28	Bhadra 06	Friday
22.	Ganesh Chaturthi / Vinayak Chaturthi	September 14	Bhadra 23	Monday
23.	Dussehra (Saptami)	October 18	Asvina 26	Sunday
24.	Dussehra (Mahashtami)	October 19	Asvina 27	Monday
25.	Dussehra (Mahanavami)	October 20	Asvina 28	Tuesday
26.	Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday	October 26	Kartika 04	Monday
27.	Karaka Chaturthi (Karwa Chauth)	October 29	Kartika 07	Thursday
28.	Naraka Chaturdasi	November 08	Kartika 17	Sunday
29.	Govardhan Puja	November 09	Kartika 18	Monday
30.	Bhai Duj	November 11	Kartika 20	Wednesday
31.	Pratihar Shashti or Surya Shashti (Chhat Puja)	November 15	Kartika 24	Sunday
32.	Guru Teg Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day	November 24	Agrahayana 03	Tuesday
33.	Hazarat Ali’s Birthday	December 23	Pausha 02	Wednesday
34.	Christmas Eve	December 24	Pausha 03	Thursday

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