Bank holidays this week: Strike, national holiday — SBI, HDFC, ICICI, PNB closed for at least 1 day from Sept 28-Oct 4
Bank holidays this week: Before heading to a bank branch this week, customers should check their local holiday calendar.
All banks across India will be closed on October 2, for Gandhi Jayanti, halting physical services at major lenders such as SBI, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, and PNB.
Other than the gazetted holiday, several banks will also remain closed for a three-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of seven unions representing close to 90% of India’s bank officers and staff.
While branch-based tasks such as cash deposits and cheque-related work will be paused in regions observing a holiday, customers can seamlessly continue their financial transactions via internet banking, ATMs, and UPI.
Bank holidays from September 28 to October 4
Here is the date-wise list of bank holidays during the week:
September 28 to 30: Bank strike
The UFBU has confirmed the three-day nationwide strike on September 28, 29 and 30 after conciliation talks failed to resolve the dispute over the implementation of a revised Performance Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
Beyond the PLI dispute, UFBU’s demands include the immediate implementation of a five-day banking week, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, and more.
The Finance Ministry, however, has urged employees not to participate. Most private banks are likely to remain open during these three days.
October 2: Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti
Banks across the country will remain closed on October 2 for Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation. This day, the nation honours his significant contributions to the struggle for independence and his philosophies on life.
Gandhi dedicated himself to India’s fight for freedom, promoting the principles of Satyagraha (truth) and Ahimsa (non-violence). He was a political ethicist, a nationalist, and a lawyer.
What banking services can you use during bank holidays?
Even when bank branches are closed, customers can continue to access several digital banking services.
UPI and online banking: Customers can generally use UPI and internet/mobile banking for payments, fund transfers and other digital transactions.
ATMs: ATM services generally remain available for cash withdrawals and other supported transactions.
RTGS: The RBI says the RTGS system is available 24x7x365, including bank holidays, allowing customers to transfer funds electronically.
However, services that require a physical branch visit, such as certain account-related requests or documentation, will have to wait until the branch reopens.
