Indian Banks to Remain Closed for 11 Days in October 2024 Due to Festivals

Banks across India will undergo significant closures in October 2024, with a total of 11 days marked as holidays due to regional festivals, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The closures will impact banking operations nationwide and are influenced by various regional celebrations, differing from state to state. Customers planning to visit bank establishments are advised to be mindful of these holidays, consulting local branch schedules for accurate information.

The RBI has outlined the following dates and festivals prompting bank closures across different states:

October 10 will observe Durga Puja or Dussehra in Tripura, Assam, Nagaland, and West Bengal, resulting in bank closures. On the subsequent day, October 11, Dusshera celebrations, including Mahashtami, Mahanavami, Ayudha Pooja, and Durga Ashtami, will lead to additional closures in Tripura, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Meghalaya.

On October 12, banks will remain closed in an extensive list of regions including Tripura, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Hyderabad in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Nagaland, West Bengal, New Delhi, Goa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya.

October 14 marks a holiday for banks in Sikkim, and on October 16, banks in Tripura and West Bengal will close in observance of Lakshmi Puja. Maharshi Valmiki Jayanti and Kati Bihu on October 17 will see bank closures in Karnataka, Assam, and Himachal Pradesh.

The banking sector will face additional disruptions on October 20 and 27, which are designated as Sundays, as well as on October 26 for Accession Day in Jammu & Kashmir. October 31 will further impact banking operations across many states due to the concurrent celebrations of Diwali (Deepavali), Kali Puja, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s Birthday, and Naraka Chaturdashi.

Additional holidays include those on October 1, 2, 3, and 6, which further contribute to the limited banking days available to customers during the month.

To mitigate any cash access concerns, banks will continue maintaining their digital infrastructure, including online banking platforms and mobile applications, allowing customers to manage essential transactions over the weekends and public holidays. Furthermore, bank ATMs remain available for cash withdrawals during these times, barring any prior notifications issued to consumers.