Bank holidays 2021: RBI releases holiday list; financial institutions to remain closed on these dates in January next year

As we inch closer to a new year, the Reserve Bank of India has published the list of days banks will remain non-operational in 2021. As per RBI, banks will remain closed on Sundays as well as the second and fourth Saturday. As per a report in Mint, to celebrate New Year, the RBI has declared a bank holiday in Chennai, Aizawl, Gangtok, Imphal and Shillong. Apart from these places, banks will remain functional across all other major cities on 1 January, 2021. In Aizwal, banks will remain closed on 2 January for New Year celebrations as well, while banks in Kolkata will remain non-functional on 12 January owing to Swami Vivekananda’s birthday. In Ahmedabad, Gangtok and Hyderabad banks will remain closed on 14 January due to Makar Sankranti, while banks in Chennai will down their shutters from 15-17 January. Apart from other days, banks will remain closed on Republic Day as well. Here is the entire list of holidays for January 2021 as per RBI:

• 1 January 2021- New Year’s Day
• 2 January 2021 -New Year’s Celebration
• 3 January 2021- Sunday
• 9 January 2021- Second Saturday
• 10 January 2021- Weekly off (Sunday)
• 12 January 2021 - Birthday of Swami Vivekananda
• 14 January 2021 - Makar Sankranti/Pongal/Maghe Sankranti
• 15 January 2021 - Thiruvalluvar Day/Magh Bihu and Tusu Puja
• 16 January 2021 - Uzhavar Thirunal
• 17 January 2021- Sunday
• 20 January 2021 - Guru Govind Singh Ji Birthday
• 23 January 2021- Fourth Saturday, Birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
• 24 January 2021- Sunday
• 25 January 2021- Imoinu Iratpa
• 26 January 2021- Republic Day
• 31 January 2021- Sunday

Apart from the aforementioned dates, banks will remain closed in selective states on the following dates:

• 15 January in Hyderabad due to Thiruvalluvar Day, Magh Bihu and Tusu Puja.
• 20 January in Chandigarh on account of Guru Govind Singh Ji’s birthday.
• 23 January in Agartala on account of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary.
• 25 January in Imphal due to Imoinu Iratpa.

As per a report in DNA, while banks will physically remain shut on these dates, mobile and internet banking will remain functional. The year 2021 will see 40 holidays for banks.