Yogi govt cancels 15 UP holidays on VIPs' birth/death anniversaries

The Uttar Pradesh government cancelled 15 state-specific public holidays that were being observed to mark birth and death anniversaries of historical figures, political and religious leaders.

Currently, government servants in the state are entitled to a potential 180-odd holidays and leaves. This translates to six months of holidays, including 104 weekends, 40 public holidays, restricted holidays, earned and medical leaves.

At an event to mark the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar on April 14, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had expressed displeasure at the huge number of public holidays in the state. Nearly all of these holidays were declared in the last decade and a half.

The UP cabinet on Tuesday cancelled 15 of these public holidays. But national holidays will continue to be observed in the state.

The cabinet decided to cancel the public holiday to mark the birth anniversary of former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, obverved on January 24. Interestingly, his birth anniversary is not a public holiday in Bihar.

Some of the other holidays cancelled are: Maharshi Kashyap and Maharaj Guna anniversary observed on April 5, Cheti Chand, or Sindhi new year (in 2017 observed on March 29), Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s anniversary (observed on April 14); birth anniversary of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar on April 17; Rajput king Maharana Pratap’s anniversary on May 9; last Friday of Ramzan (to be observed this year on June 23); Maharaja Agrasen birth anniversary (September 21); Vishwakaram puja (to be observed in 2017 on September 17); Mahrshi Valmiki jayanti; Chhath festival (October 26); Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Acharya Narendra Deva birth anniversaries on October 31; Id-e-Milad, or the Prophet’s birthday (to be observed in 2017 on December 2); and former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh’s birth anniversary on December 23.

Several of these public holidays were declared by previous governments on the pretext of respecting the sentiments of a particular caste group or religion.