Bank Holiday: Will banks, schools, and government offices be closed today, March 31, in observance of Mahavir Jayanti? This is a question on the minds of millions of bank customers across the nation. Today, Tuesday, in celebration of Mahavir Jayanti, many states will see schools, colleges, banks, and government offices closed. This significant festival of Jainism marks the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir and is recognized as a gazetted holiday, leading to the closure of most government offices.
Where will schools and colleges be closed?
Schools and colleges are likely to be closed in various states, including Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. However, some states have altered their holiday schedules. In certain regions of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, the local administration has designated March 30th as the Mahavir Jayanti holiday instead of March 31st. Therefore, it is advisable for individuals to verify the specific holiday dates for their states and districts.
Where will banks be closed?
As for banking services, banks will be closed on March 31st in cities such as Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, New Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna, Ranchi, and Raipur. Additionally, post offices will also be closed on this day. Nevertheless, services like online banking, UPI, and ATMs will continue to operate, ensuring that people can carry out their essential tasks without any issues.
The stock market will also be closed on March 31
This closure will extend to the stock market as well. Both the NSE and BSE exchanges will not operate on March 31st, resulting in a complete halt to trading across equity, derivatives, and all other segments.
There’s no need to worry about banks being closed for so many consecutive days. These holidays apply only to physical bank branches. For the convenience of the common man, all digital banking services will remain operational 24/7 during this time. You will be able to use mobile banking, net banking, UPI, and ATMs without interruption. Whether it’s money transfers or bill payments, the holidays will not affect these online services.
Bank Holiday April
The series of holidays is starting from April 1st itself. On the very first day of the month, i.e. April 1st, banks across the country will remain closed for customers. This day is for annual account closing, hence no offline work will be possible in the branches. After this, on April 3rd, there will be a public holiday in banks across the country on the occasion of ‘Good Friday’.
Similarly, on April 14th, on the occasion of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti, bank branches will remain closed across India. On the same day, festivals like Baisakhi, Tamil New Year and Bohag Bihu will also be celebrated in many states, due to which work will be affected on a nationwide level.
