Bank Holiday: A holiday on Saturday for all public sector banks, including SBI! Has the demand for an 8-day holiday been met?

Bank employee unions had recently announced a nationwide strike demanding a five-day work week. However, the strike was called off just the night before it was scheduled to begin. Following this, speculation arose that government banks would now remain closed on Saturdays as well. Meanwhile, a document resembling a government gazette—bearing the Government of India's hologram—began circulating on social media, claiming that government banks would observe a holiday on Saturdays. To clear up the confusion spreading among the public, the government agency PIB (Press Information Bureau) clarified the facts in its 'Fact Check' column. The fact check stated that the claim circulating on social media is completely fake and holds no truth.

In a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), PIB’s fact-check handle stated that the claim—purportedly from a gazette circular issued by the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance—regarding a holiday every Saturday for all government banks is entirely incorrect. The government has issued no such order, nor has approval been granted for a holiday every Saturday in government banks. PIB emphasized that the claim is completely false and baseless, and urged people not to believe it.

**What is the claim being made on social media?**
A document resembling a Government of India gazette notification has been circulating on social media, claiming to have been issued by the central government. It states that all government banks, including SBI, will now observe a holiday every Saturday, effectively implementing a five-day work week. This document surfaced following the recent strike announcement by bank employee unions, who had demanded that every Saturday be declared a holiday.

**What is the current system in banks?**
Currently, all government banks in the country observe six holidays per month. This includes four Sundays and two Saturdays. Banks do not operate on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. Bank employee unions had demanded that the remaining two Saturdays also be declared holidays and that a five-day work week—similar to the corporate sector—be implemented in banks. The government has assured them that it will consider this demand, but no official decision has been taken on the matter so far.

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