The Odisha government has declared a two-day public holiday for Diwali this year, according to a notification issued on Saturday.
Initially, the government had declared on October 21 as Diwali holiday. However, the government, in a fresh notification, declared October 20 as a holiday for Diwali.
“This year, state government employees will get a two-day holiday for Diwali. However, they have to work on October 25, which is a fourth Saturday,” Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari said.
He further said that the employees in Nuapada will not get a holiday on October 20, as that is the last date for filing of nomination papers for the November 11 bypoll.
The Minister explained that the decision to include October 20 was based on recommendations from the Puri Jagannath Temple’s Mukti Mandap Pandit Mahasabha, which advised that key rituals, including ‘Paya Shradha,’ would commence that afternoon.
