Gazette issued declaring 5-day holiday for Durga Puja

The country is getting a five-day consecutive holiday for the Hindu community’s biggest religious festival, Durga Puja, after the government declared October 22 a holiday, creating a break from October 20 to 24.

The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification on Wednesday declaring October 20-22 as holidays for the upcoming Durga Puja. 

The three-day break will be followed by the regular weekly holidays on Friday (October 23) and Saturday (October 24).

Under the 2026 public holiday calendar, October 20 (Tuesday) is a holiday by executive order for Mahanavami, while October 21 (Wednesday) is a public holiday for Bijoya Dashami.

October 22 was originally scheduled as a working day. However, the Cabinet approved a proposal to declare the day a holiday through an executive order, paving the way for the five-day break.