Public Holidays and Festivals in India 2020
There are many festivals and special events in India, but only three of them are recognized as national holidays. The country celebrates Republic Day on 26 January, Independence Day on 15 August, and Gandhi Jayanti on 02 October every year as National Holiday.
Gazetted Holidays list of India, 2020
In India, General Holidays or Gazetted Holidays usually mean as Government Holidays or Public Holidays or Compulsory holidays. These holidays are usually observed everywhere like banks, government sectors, public sector and private sector, schools, etc in the country. There are 17 compulsory holidays including the above three national holidays. These holidays are provided by the central Government of India and these are common for all states and union territories of the nation.
Central Government Holidays or Gazetted Holiday calendar 2020
(Birthday of Prophet Muhammad)
$The date may be vary based on the lunar position.
Source: https://www.india.gov.in/calendar/
All of the above 14 holidays are observed as the compulsory holidays for all central government employees throughout India. In addition, three (3) more holidays shall be decided from the list below (Additional Compulsory Holiday List 2020) by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee of the concerned state. And the 17 compulsory holidays must be the same for all Central Government Offices for the concerned State.
Additional Compulsory Holiday List 2020
*Only one holiday supposed to decide on the concerned state.
Source: https://www.india.gov.in/calendar/
Restricted Holiday Calendar of India, 2020
India is a country of 28 states and 8 union territories where a different type of religious followers (Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs, Jain and others) lives together with a vast cultural heritage. They celebrate different types of festivals and cultural activities throughout the years, and which are varies from state to state.
Except this 17 compulsory central holidays (Gazetted Holidays), a state or Union Territory can get 2 or 3 more (sometimes up to 6 to 9) additional holidays. Basically, these extra holidays depend on the importance and priority of a festival by the state people. These optional holiday lists are selected by the Central Government Employees Welfare Coordination Committee and this list is usually called as Restricted Holidays.
Restricted Holidays or Optional Holiday calendar for 2020
Source: https://www.india.gov.in/calendar/
In India Sunday declared a weekend holiday. If any above mention holiday coincides with Sunday then it will not be counted as an extra holiday.
All the above festivals are commonly used for central government, state government, and other sectors office holidays. In addition, there are numerous festivals, events, and fairs which are also observed in some states and localities as holidays, the dates of which change from year to year.
Time and Date mentioned on the above lists for Muslim festivals are based on the latest known dates and may vary according to the local sightings of the first-day moon.