Other BriefingsIndia’s Public Holidays in 2021
India’s public holidays in 2021 will include gazetted and restricted days, as is the norm. Commercial establishments should note the schedule for the respective states where they are located.
The government of India has announced its holiday schedule for 2021. The schedule is divided across three classifications: gazetted, restricted, as well as state and union territory.
Many foreign human resource managers struggle with India’s holiday schedule. That is no surprise: the federal and state governments have acknowledged a number of holidays every month to accommodate over 1.3 billion people spread over 36 diverse states and union territories.
Although there are many ways to manage this schedule, most companies in India offer 10 to 14 public holidays depending upon the company’s past practices and industry norms, as well as the discretion of the concerned states. Companies doing business with state and government authorities, however, must note their respective holiday calendars. For example, government offices in the National Capital Territory of Delhi will be closed for 33 days in 2021.
Overall, holidays in India are governed primarily through the following laws:
- The Weekly Holidays Act, 1942;
- The Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946;
- The National and Festival Holidays Act, 1963;
- The Negotiable Instruments Act 1981;
- The Companies Act 2013; and
- The Shops and Commercial Establishments Act.
However, among these, The National & Festival Holidays Act is applicable to all establishments in the country, and mandates three holidays in India: Republic Day, January 26; Independence Day, August 15; and Gandhi Jayanti, October 2. Irrespective of the law a company, industry, or organization follows, or whether they are public, private organizations or MNCs, every entity must necessarily remain closed on these days. Organizations that need to work on those days need to take prior approval from concerned authorities.
Many businesses in India close offices on the gazetted holidays and grant employees several optional holidays that they may select to observe a non-gazetted holiday of their choosing.
Other businesses simply mirror the holiday schedule observed by the management of their office building.
Gazetted holidays for 2021
January
January 26, Tuesday: Republic Day
March
March 29, Monday: Holi
April
April 2, Friday: Good Friday
April 21, Wednesday: Ram Navami
April 25, Sunday: Mahavir Jayanti
May
May 14, Friday: Id-ul-Fitr
May 26, Wednesday: Buddha Purnima
July
July 21, Wednesday: Id-ul-Zuha
August
August 15, Sunday: Independence Day
August 19, Thursday: Muharram
August 30, Monday: Janmashtami
October
October 2, Saturday: Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday (Gandhi Jayanti)
October 15, Friday: Dussehra
October 19, Tuesday: Birthday of Prophet Mohammad
November
November 4, Thursday: Diwali
November 19, Friday: Guru Nanak’s Birthday
December
December 25, Saturday: Christmas Day
Non-gazetted / restricted holidays for 2021
January
January 1, Friday: New Year’s Day
January 13, Wednesday: Lohri
January 14, Thursday: Makar Sankranti/Pongal
January 20, Wednesday: Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday
February
February 16, Tuesday: Basant Panchami
February 19, Friday: Shivaji Jayanti
February 26, Friday: Hazrat Ali’s Birthday
February 27, Saturday: Guru Ravidas’s Birthday
March
March 8, Monday: Swami Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti
March 11, Thursday: Maha Shivratri
March 28, Sunday: Holika Dahan
April
April 4, Sunday: Easter Sunday
April 13, Tuesday: Chaitra Sukladi/Gudi Padava/Ugadi/Cheti Chand/Vaisakhi/Vishu
April 14, Wednesday: Mesadi Tamil New Year’s Day
April 15, Thursday: Vaisakhadi (Bengal)/ Bahag Bihu (Assam)
May
May 7, Friday: Jamat-Ul-Vida
May 9, Sunday: Guru Rabindranath’s Birthday
July
July 12, Monday: Rath Yatra
August
August 16, Monday: Parsi New Year’s Day (Nauraj)
August 21, Saturday: Onam or Thiru Onam Day
August 22, Sunday: Raksha Bandhan
September
September 10, Friday: Ganesh Chaturthi
October
October 12, Tuesday: Dussehra (Maha Saptami)
October 13, Wednesday: Dussehra (Maha Ashtami)
October 14, Thursday: Dussehra (Maha Navmi)
October 20, Wednesday: Maharishi Valmiki’s Birthday
October 24, Sunday: Karva Chouth
November
November 5, Friday: Govardhan Puja
November 6, Saturday: Bhai Dhuj
November 10, Wednesday: Chhat Puja
November 24, Wednesday: Guru Teg Bahadur’s Martyrdom
December
December 24, Friday: Christmas Eve
State and union territory holidays
The list of state and union territory holidays is quite large. Please follow the hyperlink to review local holidays that apply to your place of business.
In addition to office closures, governments in the state and union territories often observe “dry days” or days when the sale of alcohol is not permitted, on gazetted and state and union territory holidays. Dry days also routinely occur on local election dates.
(For India’s Public Holidays in 2020, click here.)
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