Request for change of date of Holiday on account of Diwali from 31st October (Thursday) to 1st November, 2024 (Friday)

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES WELFARE CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE,

MUMBAI

Room No. 15B, Ground Floor, Aayakar Bhavan, M.K. Road,

Mumbai - 400 020

Tel. No. 022 22030685 / E-mail ID: mumbai.ito.hq.welfare@incometax.gov.in

No. CGEWCC/Holiday-2024/2024-25 Date: 22nd October 2024

To,
The Assisstant Director of Postal,
Office of Chief Postmaster General,
Maharashtra Circle, Mumbai

Sir/Madam,

Sub: Request for change of date of Holiday on account of Diwali from 31st October (Thursday) to 1st November, 2024 (Friday) - reg.

Ref: Your letter dated 24.09.2024, 08.10.2024 & 17.10.2024 for change of Holiday on account Diwali.

Kindly refer to the above.

Vide above referred letters, the request for change of date of holiday on account of Diwali from 31st October (Thursday) to 1st November, 2024 (Friday) has been made. The order II, Annexure 3 has been referred stating that the date of Diwali may be changed to the holiday declared by the concerned State Government.

3. The para 6 of the DOPT's OM dated 03.07.2023 regarding change of Holiday on account of Diwali is as under:

During 2024, Diwali (Deepavali) falls on Thursday, October 31, 2024 (Kartika 09). In certain States, the practice is to celebrate the occasion a day in advance, i.e., on "Naraka Chaturdasi Day". In view of this, there is no objection if holiday on account of Deepavali is observed on "Naraka Chaturdasi Day (in place of Deepavali Day) in the Central Government Offices in a State if in that State that day alone is declared as a compulsory holiday for Diwali for the offices of the State Government.

The except the case, mentioned in para 6 above, the CGEWCC is not mandated to change the date of Holiday on account of Diwali.

4. As per Appendix-III (Orders on Holidays) in respect of change of Holiday, the following has been mentioned:

"The dates of various occasions for holidays, etc., are fixed on the basis of the findings of astronomical computation made by the professional official agency of the Central

5. Government, i.e., Positional Astronomical Centre, which also makes extensive consultations with various acknowledged authorities operating in the field, before tendering advice to the Government, and once such dates of occasions are decided, no change can be allowed.

[G.I., M.H.A., D.P. & A.R., O.M. No. 12/32/84-JCA, dated the 13th March, 1985.]"

In the Appendix-III (Orders on Holidays) in respect of change of Holiday on account of Diwali, it is mentioned that:

6. "In certain States, the practice is to celebrate the occasion a day in advance, i.e., on "Narakachaturdasi Day". In view of this there is no objection if holiday on account of Deepavali is observed as Narakachaturdasi Day (in place of Deepavali Day) for the Central Government offices in a State if in that State that day alone is declared as a compulsory holiday for Diwali for the offices of the State Government.

[G.I., Dept. of Per. & Trg., O.M. No. 12/1/92-JCA, dated the 27th July, 1992, Paras. 4, 4.1 and 5.]"

On perusal of the received requests, it is very much clear that there is no practice to celebrate the occasion a day in advance i.e., on "Naraka Chaturdashi Day" in the State of Maharashtra and therefore, the request for change of Holiday doesn't fall under the purview of para 6 of the DOPT's OM dated 03.07.2023.

7. The list of the holidays is decided and published by the DoPT and it is binding on the CGEWCC is follow the instructions issued by it. Therefore, the request for change of date of holiday on account of Diwali from 31st October to 1st November cannot be accepted only on the ground that the Government of Maharashtra has declared holiday of Diwali on 1st November 2024 as the CGEWCC is not mandated for this by any DOPT's OMs./Circulars etc.

Yours faithfully,

(Ritesh Kumar)

Jt. Secretary, CGEWCC, Mumbai & ITO (HQ) Welfare & SG, Mumbai