Tag: Holidays

Long weekends and other holidays await you in 2023: Check the full list here

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As 2022 comes to end, it’s time to look forward to the new year. It is time to plan early and plan smart to strike the work-life balance. As several festivals and holidays are falling around the weekend in 2023, advance planning can help you get a great long weekend getaway. Here’s a list of long weekends in 2023 and other holidays that you can plan your leaves around.

January

January 14, Saturday: Lohri, Makar Sankranti

January 15, Sunday: Pongal

With a leave on January 13, Friday you can enjoy a three-day holiday.

January 26, Thursday: Republic Day

January 28, Saturday

January 29, Sunday

With a leave on January 27, Friday you can enjoy a four-day holiday.

February

February 18, Saturday: Mahashivratri

February 19, Sunday

With a leave on February 17, Friday you can enjoy a long weekend.

March

There are no long weekends in March.

Important holidays:

March 8, Wednesday – Holi

March 22, Wednesday Ugadi

March 30, Thursday – Ram Navami

ALSO READ: Cold wave in India: Dense fog condition in Punjab and Haryana, UP and Delhi for next 48 hours

April

April 7, Friday: Good Friday

April 8, Saturday

April 9, Sunday

Here you can enjoy a three-day-long weekend.

May

May 5, Friday – Buddha Purnima

May 6, Saturday

May 7, Sunday

In case you missed the last one, another long weekend is waiting for you.

Other important holidays:

1 May, Monday – May Day/Labour Day

June

June 17, Saturday

June 18, Sunday

June 20, Tuesday: Rath Yatra (Restricted Holiday)

With a leave on June 19, Monday, you can extend the holiday for four days.

Other Important holidays:

29 June, Thursday:  Bakrid Eid/ Eid al Adha

July

July lacks significant holidays or major celebrations.

Important holidays

July 29, Sunday: Muharram

ALSO READ: CBSE Class 10, 12 board exams 2023 date sheet to be released soon here is how to download

August

August 12, Saturday

August 13, Sunday

August 15, Tuesday: Independence Day

August 16, Wednesday: Parsi New Year (Restricted Holiday)

Take leave on August 14, Monday, you can get a five-day-long holiday.

August 26, Saturday

August 27, Sunday

August 29, Tuesday: Onam (Restricted Holiday)

August 30, Wednesday: Raksha Bandhan

You can enjoy five days of the holiday if you take a leave of absence on August 28, Monday

September

Thursday, 7 September: Janmashtami (Restricted Holiday)

Saturday, 9 September

Sunday, 10 September

With a day’s leave on September 8, Friday, you can get a 4-day holiday.

Important holidays:

19 September, Tuesday: Ganesh Chaturthi (Restricted Holiday)

28 September, Thursday: Eid-e-Milad

October

September 30, Saturday

October 1, Sunday

October 2, Monday: Gandhi Jayanti

October 21, Saturday

October 22, Sunday

October 24, Tuesday: Dussehra

With a leave on October 23, Monday, you can enjoy a long weekend.

November

November 25, Saturday

November 26, Sunday

November 27, Monday: Guru Nanak Jayanti

Important holidays:

12 November, Sunday – Diwali

13 November, Monday Govardhan Pooja/Laxmi Puja (Deepawali)

14 November, Tuesday- Diwali (Bali Pratipada)/ Deepavali/Vikram Samvant New Year Day/Laxmi Puja

December

December 23, Saturday

December 24, Sunday

December 25, Monday: Christmas

Take one-day leave on December 22 and enjoy Christmas in full spirits.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Bank holidays in August 2022; check the full list here

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Bank workers across the private and public sectors will enjoy a bevvy of holidays in the month of August as the festive season slowly starts to ramp up. With 6 weekend leaves, one national holiday and 13 regional holidays, the month is full of holidays for bank workers.

The Reserve Bank of India, the central bank in India, has released the list of all bank holidays on its website. The list of bank holidays is determined by the Negotiable Instruments Act, Holiday; Real Time Gross Settlement Holiday and Banks’ Closing of Accounts.

However, the 13 regional holidays are celebrated in certain regions of the country and bank workers aren’t able to enjoy all thirteen as separate holidays. Additionally, the 13 holidays do include the same occasion being two holidays as it may be celebrated on different dates in different areas of the country. 

Also read: In a first, Burberry ad features 4-year-old Sikh boy

While banks are physically closed during bank holidays, customers can still use bank services online through the web portals and mobile applications of their respective banks. However, here is the full list of bank holidays so you can plan your monthly transactions without trouble. 

Leaves per RBI’s Calendar

August 1: Drukpa Tshe-zi — Gangtok

August 7: First Sunday

August 8: Muharram (Ashoora) — Jammu, Srinagar

August 9: Muharram (Ashoora) — Agartala, Ahmedabad, Aizawl, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna, Raipur and Ranchi

August 11: Raksha Bandhan — Ahmedadabad, Bhopal, Dehradun, Jaipur, and Shimla

August 12: Raksha Bandhan — Kanpur, and Lucknow

August 13: Patriot’s Day — Imphal

August 13: Second Saturday 

August 14: Second Sunday

August 15: Independence Day — Pan-India

August 16: Parsi New Year (Shahenshahi) — Belapur, Mumbai, and Nagpur

August 18: Janmashtami — Bhubaneswar, Dehradun, Kanpur and Lucknow

August 19: Janmashtami (Shravan Vad-8)/ Krishna Jayanthi — Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gangtok, Jaipur, Jammu, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi, Shillong and Shimla

August 20: Sri Krishna Ashtami — Hyderabad

August 21: Third Sunday

August 27: Fourth Saturday

August 28: Fourth Sunday

August 29: Tithi of Srimanta Sankardeva — Guwahati

August 31: Samvatsari (Chaturthi Paksha)/Ganesh Chaturthi/ Varasiddhi Vinayaka Vrata/ Vinayakar Chathurthi —  Ahmedabad, Belapur, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Nagpur and Panaji

Also read: Expect 20-30% rise in spiritual tourism for the next five years

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Perfect monsoon getaway is just a long weekend away; Here’s when you can plan your trip

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A large part of 2021 was spent under lockdown, and the little joys like the rain of monsoon seemed close but too far to enjoy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, 2022 brings new opportunities to enjoy the monsoon to the fullest with over 5 long weekends falling in the months of July and August.

Here’s a look at the upcoming long weekends perfect for you to plan a monsoon getaway.

Rath Yatra long weekend ( July 1 to July 3- Friday to Sunday)

The very first long weekend of the monsoon season falls on the occasion of Jagannath Rath Yatra. For people living in the eastern part of the country, it is a great opportunity to witness the grand festival itself. For others, a quick getaway to a hill station or even the beach is a great way to enjoy the early monsoons.

Muharram weekend (August 6 to August 9 -Saturday to Tuesday)

The next long weekend falls bang in the middle of the monsoon season. It is the perfect time to enjoy the lush green terrains of popular destinations like Lonavala (Pune), Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu), Shillong (Meghalaya) or perhaps the tea gardens of Darjeeling in West Bengal.

Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day Weekend (August 11 to August 15 – Thursday to Monday)

An extended weekend again falls in the middle of the monsoon which also brings a chance for a family get-together. This weekend is perfect for a family picnic or a family road trip to a monsoon destination. The lake of Nainital or the picturesque hills of Ranikhet could be your site of choice among many others.

Janmashtami weekend ( August 19 to August 21-Friday to Sunday)

The fourth long weekend of the season falls on the occasion of Janmashtami. Popular routes like Bombay to Malshej, Udaipur to Mount Abu, Bangalore to Coorg or Hyderabad to Tirupati can be a great choice to enjoy the rain.

Ganesh Chaturthi Weekend ( August 31 to September 4- Wednesday to Sunday)

The fifth and final weekend of the two monsoon months is one the longest of all. The occasion of Ganesh Chathurthi brings a great opportunity to witness the festival in Mumbai and then you can take a quick trip to places like Lonavala, Khandala, Mahabaleshwar or Thoseghar Waterfalls among others.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

COVID-19: Telangana govt extends holidays for educational institutions till Jan 30; state Cabinet meet on Jan 17

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The State Cabinet meeting will be held here on Monday under the chairmanship of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao even as the state government on Sunday extended vacation for all educational institutions till January 30 in view of rise in COVID-19 cases.

“The State Cabinet meeting under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will be held on Monday at Pragathi Bhavan (Rao’s official residence complex-cum-camp office),” an official release said.

The Cabinet meeting will discuss on coronavirus and other issues, it said. In view of the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country and the state, the government has decided to extend the holidays till January 30 to all educational institutions–private, aided and government, except medical colleges in the state as per the directions of the Chief Minister, it said.

Also Read: Over 60% of Omicron-infected people in Delhi without travel history, says study

Earlier, the state government had declared holidays for all educational institutions from January 8 to January 16.

Get here Omicron News Latest Updates:

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Omicron threat: Fresh COVID-19 guidelines in Maharashtra today

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Explained: When COVID-19 derails travel plans, vacationers resort to ‘trip stacking’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The pandemic has thrown a wrench into everyone’s vacations plans over the last year or so and people are increasingly looking for travel plans that are flexible and cover cancellations and alterations. Travel agencies and booking companies reported that people are now opting for two or even three different vacations over the same time period, in case of unexpected cancellations or delays due to COVID-19.

What is trip stacking?

The trend of ‘trip stacking’ involves booking multiple trips to different locations so that travellers have the option to pick what they want closer to the vacation date, based on the ever-changing travel restrictions, reported TravelTalk.

Joshua Bush, CEO of the Pennsylvania-based travel company Avenue Two Travel, while speaking to Travel Weekly, said flexible booking policies are driving this trend and with the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, travellers forever fear fresh lockdowns and changes in travel policy.

“It’s a combination of looking at various types of travels, such as a cruise, a European vacation and maybe a sun-and-sand destination. As things get closer to departure, if, say, the cruise gets cancelled or shifted, I have that Hawaiian backup trip [ready],” explained Bush. “We hold that space knowing that terms are flexible, and we’re not ultimately cancelling any trip, just changing the dates associated with them.”

He added that around 10-12 percent of Avenue Two’s clients are opting for trip stacking, and these bookings account for the bulk of the company’s revenue.

“These are the people that were planning trips and trying to travel last year,” said Bush. “This is a strategy for somebody whose overwhelming value is around travel, and we know that they’re going to follow through on not just one but two or all three of those trips.”  

It comes at a cost

But trip stacking is not easy on the wallet as flexible fares and bookings often cost more and could also cause problems for the hotels and airlines if too many customers cancelled their bookings at the last minute.

Tim Hentschel, CEO of HotelPlanner, told CNBC that trip stacking can drive up prices for everyone wishing to travel.

“Unlike making three or four dinner reservations and then deciding hours before where you want to go based on appetite or convenience, trip stacking will cause prices on airlines and hotels to go up for everyone,” said Hentschel, adding that hotels and airlines yield their prices up as occupancy levels increase.

This can also lead to hotels charging non-refundable booking fees which need to be paid upfront or they can choose to completely change their cancellation policies, warned Hentschel.

Fairly new trend

Misty Belles, Managing Director at the luxury travel network Virtuoso, told CNBC that this is a fairly new trend which began sometime between May and June, after people started getting vaccinated in large numbers in the US and Europe started reopening to tourists.

It became even more popular when the Delta variant started spreading havoc and countries were forced to issue new travel bans and restrictions, said Bush.

According to a survey conducted by the financial website FinanceBuzz, more than 50 percent of Americans had cancelled or changed travel plans by early August.

Bush also said that travellers are opting for destinations which can be easy to get to like Mexico and the Caribbean islands.

Why is it popular?

Belles gave an example to CNBC of a traveller who booked two trips, one to Portugal and the other to Florida as a backup plan using their company. Since Portugal opened in time, the traveller simply rescheduled the Florida trip to December.

“By and large, cancellation policies have stayed really flexible, allowing the traveller to have that choice,” said Belles.

The COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed the way people travel and with pandemic fatigue from last year, travellers might be more motivated than ever to book multiple trips for the same time period. The trend of trip stacking might only become more prevalent on the basis of new emerging strains of the virus, consequent travel bans and flexible booking policies that allow refunds and rescheduling options.

But CEO Tim Hentschel cautions that travellers who choose to trip stack should do the “socially responsible thing” of cancelling all bookings as early as possible.

“Travelers who ‘trip stack’ or arbitrage their travel options should remember the common courtesy of cancelling all reservations and bookings as early as possible,” he said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Bank holidays in February: No national holidays, but 6 state-specific holidays

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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In February, there are no national holidays for banks but in various regions banks will be shut for six additional days during the course of the month. These six state holidays, added with the periodic leaves on the second and fourth Saturdays and Sundays of the month, mean that banks in different states in India will be shut for at least 12 days in February 2021.

Here’s the list of regional bank holidays in February 2021. These days are as per guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

• February 12 (Friday): Losar/Sonam Lochhar (banks in Gangtok to be shut)
• February 15 (Monday): Lui-Ngai-Ni (banks in Imphal to be shut)

• February 16 (Tuesday): Saraswati Puja (banks in Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Agartala will be shut)

• February 19 (Friday): Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti (banks in Mumbai, Nagpur will be shut)

• February 20 (Saturday): State Day of Mizoram (banks in Aizawl will remain closed)

• February 26 (Friday): Birthday of Md Hazarat Ali (banks in Kanpur, Lucknow will remain closed)

In India, there are two types of bank holidays — national holidays and state holidays. At the start of every year, the RBI publishes the list of days banks will remain non-operational in that particular year.

National holidays: On these holidays, banks across the country remain shut. As per RBI guidelines, the all-India holidays include Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15), Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) and Christmas (December 25). These apart, Diwali, Eid, Guru Nanak Jayanthi, Good Friday, etc. are also bank holidays.

State holidays: These types of holidays are specific to states. They may or may not be bank holidays, depending on the state where the bank is located. Private and government banks are shut for these holidays in specific states (see list of holidays pertaining to specific states above).

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Can COVID-19 testing allow us to gather safely for the holidays?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With families hoping to gather for the holidays, Reuters assembled more than 30 healthcare experts to discuss COVID-19 testing during an #AskReuters Twitter chat.

Below are edited highlights.

What kinds of COVID-19 tests are available now?

“Viral tests tell you if you have an active infection. Genetic (nucleic acid) tests are more accurate than antigen tests. These are used for making a diagnosis of current #COVID-19 infection.”

— Raed Dweik, MD, MBA, chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Respiratory Institute

Can people safely rely on test results to socialize?

“You should not rely on test results alone to safely socialize in person. A test can only tell you if you are positive at a given moment in time, and can also fail to detect cases if you are infected but not yet shedding substantial virus.”

— Dr. Angela Rasmussen, virologist affiliated with Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security

“Now is the time for delayed gratification. My family pushed back Thanksgiving to the spring and look forward to a safer event at that time.”

— Dr. Joshua Schiffer, associate professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Also Read: Pfizer ends COVID-19 trial with 95% efficacy, to seek emergency-use authorization

If someone thinks they have been exposed to COVID-19, should they get tested?

“If you think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19, first protect others by limiting your contact with anyone else as best as you can. Get tested even if you don’t have symptoms. And quarantine until you get the results.”

— Heather Pierce, JD, MPH, senior director and regulatory counsel at Association of American Medical Colleges

“Yes! If you think you’ve been exposed, get tested. Whether or not you have symptoms or are at increased risk, you should get tested if your local testing capacity allows it.”

— Dr. Syra Madad, senior director, Special Pathogens at New York City Health & Hospitals

What are the current successes and failures of testing?

“Despite many bumps in the road, a massive success is the number of tests currently available. It’s remarkable that so many have achieved FDA authorization. We continue, however, to struggle to meet testing demand, which requires more reagents and more people.”

— Infectious Diseases Society of America

“To me, the biggest failure is that we are still unable to do what South Korea and Taiwan were able to do in the spring. The failure of testing continues to plague us. Long lines, long turnaround time, lack of reagents.”

— Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

How can testing be democratized so that everyone has access?

“We need to hardwire equity into our COVID-19 response in terms of access, prioritization and coverage. Essential workers are not prioritized in COVID-19 testing, yet they have the highest exposure.”

— Roopa Dhatt, executive director at Women in Global Health

“Globally, the lack of widespread availability of testing is partly what is resulting in an underestimate of the true burden of this pandemic. A lot more people have had and have died of this disease than have been diagnosed.”

— Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, infectious-diseases physician and associate professor at the Boston University School of Medicine

Can mass testing be used for people to return to “normal”?

“No. Testing does not replace basic prevention measures such as social distancing and wearing masks. Testing negative only means you have no detectable virus at the time of the test.”

— Joe Eisenberg, chair and professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health

“Regardless of testing, we must not abandon at this point the pillars of public health: use of masks, physical distance and frequent hand washing.”

— Dr. Diego Hijano, instructor in the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

What gives you hope?

“I have hope that soon we will have more tools to help us fight the pandemic in the vaccines. However, people need to understand they will not magically solve the pandemic but are tools to add to the public health interventions we already have and we need to use them all.”

— Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, infectious disease researcher

“For the first time, I have hope. Interim vaccine data show more than 90% efficacy, as much as measles. By next winter, we will be getting back to normal. By 2022, we will start to socialize. We can’t eradicate COVID-19 but can eliminate it, perhaps by 2023.”

— Lawrence Gostin, director at O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law at Georgetown Law

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow