As the grand ‘Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony unfolds in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, two leading private sector banks, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank, have announced full-day closures in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
A senior official from HDFC Bank confirmed that on January 22, 2024, the bank will remain closed for the entire day in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Similarly, an official from Axis Bank stated that Axis Bank will observe a full-day closure on January 22 in Uttar Pradesh.
Preceding this announcement, the Finance Ministry issued an order on January 18, declaring a half-day closure on January 22 for public sector banks, insurance providers, financial institutions, and regional rural banks (RRBs) nationwide, in reverence of the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
On January 22, India will rejoice in the Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya. To facilitate participation in the festivities, all central government offices, central institutions, and central industrial establishments across India will close for half a day until 14:30 hours on January 22, 2024, as per the DOPT order.
Additionally, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) communicated on January 19 that due to the government offices’ half-day closure, the option to exchange and deposit Rs. 2000 banknotes will be unavailable on Monday, January 22, 2024. However, the RBI assured that operations will resume on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at any of the 19 Issue Offices of the Reserve Bank of India.
