Fourth Saturday holiday for Karnataka staff from next year

About 6 lakh government employees across Karnataka would have holiday on fourth Saturday of every month from 2020, an official said on Friday.

"Though the state cabinet on Thursday accepted the recommendation of a sub-committee to declare holiday on fourth Saturday of every month, the decision will be implemented from 2020, as holidays under several categories for this year were declared for 2019 in consultation with the employees' associations in 2018," the official told IANS.

In addition to 4-5 Sundays and second Saturday every month, the state employees get general holidays for a dozen festivals, Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15) and Gandhi Jayanthi (October 2) every year when they are on week days and optional or restricted holidays to celebrate birth anniversaries of religious leaders and social reformers and local festivals.

"The decision to declare holiday for fourth Saturday is also in conformity with the statea¿s sixth pay commission's decision. Casual leaves, however, will be for 10 days instead of 15 from next year after a gazette notification by year-end," said the official.

The demand for holiday on afourth Saturday became vocal after the central government declared holiday on fourth Saturday for state-run banks across the country and abolished half-day working on all Saturdays.

"The cabinet has also agreed not to extend the present 8 working hours (10:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m) to make up for declaring holiday for fourth Saturday," added the official.

On average, the state government employees will be entitled every year to about 100 holidays, including all Sundays, all second and fourth Saturdays, public, general, privileged and casual leaves.

"The sub-committee has rejected our demand for 5 working days, with off on Saturdays and Sundays every month as central government employees have since 1985 when then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi declared for them," added the official./Eom/300 words.

--IANS

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