The grand ‘Pran Prathistha' (consecration) ceremony of Ayodhya's Ram Temple on January 22, has prompted the central government to declare a half-day holiday. The news agency ANI shared a statement from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
A post on X (formerly Twitter), informed that all central government offices, institutions and industrial establishments in the country will remain closed till 2:30 PM on Monday.
The order attached to the post read, “The Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya will be celebrated on January 22 across India. To enable employees to participate in the celebrations, it has been decided that all Central Government offices, central institutions and central industrial establishments throughout India will be closed for half a day till 14:30 hours on January 22.”
Sharing the order, the news agency wrote, “Due to the overwhelming sentiment of the employees and requests from them, Central Government announces half day closing till 2:30 pm on 22nd January 2024, at all Central Government offices, Central institutions and Central industrial establishments throughout India on the occasion of Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha' ceremony.”
Here's a list of states that have declared a holiday or half day on January 22.
Uttar Pradesh
Calling it a “national festival”, the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday declared a holiday for all educational institutions in the state. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also declared January 22 as a dry day.
The official release stated, “Considering the significance of the consecration ceremony of the eagerly awaited new idol of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya Dham, the Chief Minister has declared a holiday in educational institutions on January 22.”
Haryana
Apart from declaring a dry day, the Manohar Lal Khattar government has issued a notice announcing that all government offices, including schools, colleges and corporations, will remain closed until 2:30 P.M.
Madhya Pradesh
On Friday, the Madhya Pradesh government announced a holiday for all the state government and private universities in the state.
Maharashtra
As per ANI, the Maharashtra government has also announced a public holiday in the state on January 22 when the grand Pran Pratishtha ceremony will be held in Ayodhya. Schools have also declared Monday as a holiday to celebrate the day.
Delhi
A Delhi government officer informed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has issued an order for the closure of government offices till 2.30 pm on January 22.
Chhattisgarh
On Thursday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced that all government offices will remain closed till 2:30 pm on January 22.
He said, “All government offices will remain closed till 2:30 pm on January 22 given the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The purpose behind this is that all the people can see the programme and participate in it...”
Goa
Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant has announced a public holiday in the state. In conversation with news agency ANI, the chief minister said, “We have started cleanliness drives in all temples of Sakhali constituency. The Goa government has declared a public holiday for government employees on January 22.”
Rajasthan
Rajasthan will also observe a half-day holiday. The schools will remain closed for half a day.
In the states of Assam, Tripura, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, a half-day public holiday has been declared to celebrate the grand occasion.
The stock market will remain shut on Monday. In some states, including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, the slaughter shops, fish and meat shops will remain closed.