The entire country is waiting for the grand opening of the Ram temple in the holy city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on January 22. Massive preparations are underway for the ‘pran-pratishtha’ event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest. Thousands of people, including saints, celebrities, and politicians, have also been invited for the much-awaited ceremony.
Amid the anticipation, the central government on Thursday announced the closure of all government offices across the country for half a day. Several state governments have also declared a public holiday or a half-day in their respective states.
List of states declaring holiday on January 22:
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed the closure of all educational institutions across the state on January 22. Liquor shops will also be closed.
Gujarat
All government offices in Guajrat will remain closed for half a day on January 22 to celebrate the consecration of the Ram temple.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday announced that all government offices will remain closed till 2:30 pm on Monday.
Madhya Pradesh
All schools will remain closed for the day on January 22, while government offices will be closed for half a day till 2:30pm. Additionally, a dry day has also been announced in the state.
Haryana
All schools will remain closed in the state. A dry day has also been announced by the state government.
Odisha
All the government offices, as well as the revenue and magisterial courts in Odisha, will remain closed for half a day till 2:30pm.
Assam
The Assam government has declared a half-day for the government offices and educational institutions till 2:30pm.
Uttarakhand
All government offices in Uttarakhand will remain closed for half a day till 2:30pm, while educational institutions will be shut for the day.
Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a public holiday in the state on January 22.
Rajasthan
The Rajasthan government has declared a half-day holiday for government offices in the state.
Goa
All government offices and educational institutions will remain shut for the day in Goa.
Tripura
All government offices and educational institutions across Tripura will remain closed till 2:30pm, an order issued by the state government said.
Haryana
The Haryana government declared a half-day holiday for government offices and educational institutions.
Chandigarh
The Chandigarh union territory administration has declared the closure of all its offices on January 22.
Puducherry
Puducherry chief minister N Rangasamy on Friday announced a public holiday in the union territory.
Banks to remain closed on January 22
Meanwhile, the ministry of finance has also issued an order asking all banks to remain closed for half a day on Monday in view of the grand occasion in Ayodhya. According to the order, all public sector banks (PSBs), insurance companies, financial institutions, and regional rural banks will remain closed till 2:30 pm.
