Public Holidays in India for 2019
The total holidays in India is 71. The division of the schedule is across three classifications: the restricted, gazette, and state and union territory.
A lot of human resource managers who are foreigners find it challenging to understand India’s holiday schedule. It is not surprising because the state and federal governments decided on a monthly number of holidays so they can accommodate the 1.3 billion population of India across 36 states and union territories.
Even if there are a lot of ways to manage the holiday schedule, most companies allow 10 to 14 holidays based on industry norms and their practices. The concerned states have discretion with the holidays.
Businesses Operations During India Public Holiday
A lot of businesses in India do not have offices during gazette holidays. Employees are granted a couple of optional holidays that they might choose to have a holiday on a different day. Some businesses follow the holiday observed by their building.
Aside from the gazetted and non-gazetted holidays, the mandatory holidays are Independence Day, Republic Day, and Gandhi Jayanti. In respect to the law, an industry, company, or organization follow, or if they are public or private organizations or MNCs, all entities must be closed on these mandatory holidays.
India is a very diverse country, and diversity is presenting a lot of opportunities in the workplace and even the market. However, there are also challenges. The workplace and religion are become more intertwined, which needs to be resolved.
Dates of the India Public Holiday 2019
| Date | Day | Holiday | Type |
| January 1 | Tuesday | New Year’s Day | Restricted Holiday |
| January 14 | Monday | Makar Sankranti | Restricted Holiday |
| January 26 | Saturday | Republic Day | Gazetted Holiday |
| March 4 | Monday | Maha Shivaratri | Restricted Holiday |
| March 21 | Thursday | Holi | Restricted Holiday |
| April 6 | Saturday | Chaitra Sukhladi | Restricted Holiday |
| April 13 | Saturday | Ram Navami | Restricted Holiday |
| April 17 | Wednesday | Mahavir Jayanti | Gazetted Holiday |
| April 19 | Friday | Good Friday | Gazetted Holiday |
| May 1 | Wednesday | Labor Day | Observance |
| May 18 | Saturday | Buddha Purnima | Gazetted Holiday |
| June 5 | Wednesday | Eid-ul-Fitr | Gazetted Holiday |
| July 4 | Thursday | Rath Yatra | Restricted Holiday |
| August 12 | Monday | Bakri Id/Eid-ul-Adha | Gazetted Holiday |
| August 15 | Thursday | Raksha Bandhan | Restricted Holiday |
| August 15 | Thursday | Independence Day | Gazetted Holiday |
| August 24 | Saturday | Janmashtami | Gazetted Holiday |
| September 2 | Monday | Vinakaya Chaturthi | Restricted Holiday |
| September 10 | Tuesday | Muharram/Ashura | Gazetted Holiday |
| September 11 | Wednesday | Onam | Gazetted Holiday |
| October 2 | Wednesday | Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti | Gazetted Holiday |
| October 8 | Tuesday | Dussehra/Dasara | Gazetted Holiday |
| October 13 | Sunday | Maharishi Valmiki Jayanti | Restricted Holiday |
| October 17 | Thursday | Kataka Chaturthi | Restricted Holiday |
| October 31 | Thursday | Halloween | Observance |
| November 12 | Tuesday | Guru Nanak Jayanti | Gazetted Holiday |
| November 24 | Sunday | Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Martyrdom Day | Restricted Holiday |
| December 22 | Sunday | December Solstice | Season |
| December 24 | Tuesday | Christmas Eve | Restricted Holiday |
| December 25 | Wednesday | Christmas | Gazetted Holiday |
| December 31 | Tuesday | New Year’s Eve | Observance |
What does the Law Say for Employees During Holidays?
The holidays are announced under the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1981. They are normally applicable to banks. Generally, factories do not adopt them and some establishments in the private and public sectors. Provisions that relate to workdays can be found in the Standing Orders of establishments based on the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946. The provisions say that employees who work on those days as required by their company are mentioned. It is also specified there when they should give off days for their employees instead.
Benefits of Employees Working on Holidays
Industrial workers are not provided with festival holidays. However, despite that, there is an allotment of festivals and national holidays is common in factories, and they are paid. Therefore, factories have their own fixed holidays based on their orders and standing rules. In addition, States are generous in giving paid holidays.
Doing Business in India
The government of India has emphasized how important business is, and they encourage international investors as well. If you plan to do business in India, you must also understand their culture because this country is deeply rooted in their religion. However, there are a lot of business ideas you can use as a guide.
Travel Agency – India’s travel industry has boomed in the previous decade. Hence, people have become more interested in travelling outside their country. This is the right time for entrepreneurs to invest money in a travel agency. The measure is very cost-effective if you open a home-based travel agency. You must tie-up with a host agency so you can receive benefits that will help you.
Renewable energy – Renewable energy is already an essential element that is needed to sustain human life, especially there are decreasing sources of crude oil and increasing air pollution.
Most of India’s energy needs come from coal. However, shifting to renewable energy resources helps lessen air pollution by a considerable percentage.
If you want to do business in India, you can contact 3E Accounting. You must also know why set up business in India is an excellent investment to make.
