15 holidays for central govt staff in 2012

The government on Thursday released the list of 17 holidays for its staff in Delhi for 2012.

However, three of these holidays fall on Sundays and one on a Saturday and hence the effective number of holidays for central government employees is only 13. Employees can avail of two more holidays on their own from the list of 36 restricted holidays that have been notified.

The holidays that fall on weekends are Id-e-Milad-un-Nabi (February 5), Buddha Purnima (May 6), Id-ul-Zuha/Bakr Id (October 27) and Muharram (November 25).

The other holidays that the central employees would get are: Republic Day (January 26), Maha Shivratri (February 20), Holi (March 8), Mahavir Jayanti (April 5), Good Friday (April 6), Janmashtami (August 10), Independence Day (August 15), Id-ul-Fitr (August 20), Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary (October 2), Dussehra (October) 24, Diwali (November 13), Guru Nanak birth anniversary (November 28) and Christmas (December 25).

Two holidays fall in a row mid-week on April 5 and April 6 (Thursday and Friday) -- and hence it will be extended holiday of four days for the central staff that week.

Bunching of holidays with two-day weekly offs occurs four times in 2012 when the central staff will be off work for three days in a row. These are: February 18, 19 and 20; August 10, 11 and 12; and August 18, 19 and 20.

Six other holidays are so placed on Thursdays and Tuesdays that an employee can be off work for four days by taking a day's leave.

In case of the central offices outside Delhi, 14 holidays are compulsory, while three others will be decided in consultation with the employees' coordination committees in the state capitals from a list of 12.

The compulsory holidays outside Delhi are: Republic Day (January 26), Id-e-Milad (February 5), Mahavir Jayanti (April 5), Good Friday (April 6), Buddha Purnima (May 6), Independence Day (August 15), Id-ul-Fitr (August 20), Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary (October 2), Dussehra (October 24), Id-ul-Zuha (October 27), Diwali (November 13), Muharram (November 25), Guru Nanak birth anniversary (November 28) and Christmas (December 25).

Twelve other holidays, from which 3 will be selected in consultation with the coordination committee, are: an additional day for Dussehra, Holi, Janmashtami, Ram Navmi, Maha Shivratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Makar Sankaranti, Puri Rath Yatra, Onam, Pongal, Basant Panchami and Vaisakhi (also celebrated as Cheti Chand, Gudi Padwa, Karva Chauth, Chhath Pooja, Ugadi and first day of Navratra).