Chandigarh: Government of Punjab has declared 18 gazetted holidays and 39 restricted holidays for the calendar year 2018. The Punjab Government employees will now be eligible to avail 5 restricted holidays, whereas earlier they could avail only 2 restricted holidays.
Disclosing this here today, an official spokesman of Punjab Government said that Government of Punjab has decided to reduce the number of gazetted holidays for the calendar year 2018 so as to enable better public service to the citizens and also to ensure more teaching days in educational institutions. “With this reform, the State Government offices will remain open for 21 more days in 2018 as compared to the previous year 2017. At the same time Government employees will be able to avail of more restricted holidays than previously, in keeping with their preferences”, he added.
Divulging further, he said that the State Government has tried to strike a balance between its commitment to better public service, more teaching days in education institutions on the one hand and the requirements of its employees to avail of holidays on the other. “Now the number of gazetted holidays in Punjab (only 18) are comparable to the number of holidays by Government of India which has declared 17 gazetted holidays for the calendar year 2018”, he added.
It can be mentioned here that for the year 2017 Government of Punjab had declared 37 gazetted holidays and 20 Restricted Holidays. Employees were allowed 2 restricted holidays.
List of Holidays as released by the Punjab government is being shared as follows, in verbatim, for the information of readers:-
| Sr. No | Name of the Holidays | Date on which they fall | Day of the Week |
| All Saturdays | |||
| All Sundays | |||
| Other Holidays | |||
| 1 | Republic Day | 26th January | Friday |
| 2 | Birthday of Sri Guru Ravidas Ji | 31st January | Wednesday |
| 3 | Holi | 2nd March | Friday |
| 4 | Ram Navami | 25th March | Sunday |
| 5 | Mahavir Jayanti | 29th March | Thursday |
| 6 | Good Friday | 30th March | Friday |
| 7 | Birthday of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar | 14 April | Saturday |
| 8 | Idu’l Fitr | 16th June | Saturday |
| 9 | Martyrdom Day of Sri Guru Arjun Dev Ji | 17th June | Sunday |
| 10 | Independece Day | 15th August | Wednesday |
| 11 | Janam Ashtami | 3rd September | Monday |
| 12 | Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi Ji | 2nd October | Tuesday |
| 13 | Dussehra | 19th October | Friday |
| 14 | Birthday of Maharishi Valmiki Ji | 24th October | Wednesday |
| 15 | Diwali | 7th November | Wednesday |
| 16 | Birthday of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji | 23rd November | Friday |
| 17 | Christmas Day | 25th December | Tuesday |
| 18 | Birthday of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji |
*Date of holiday in respect of “Birthday of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji” will be announced later.
Restricted Holidays
| Sr. No. | Name of the Holidays | Date on which they fall | Day of the week |
| 1 | New Year Day | 1st January | Monday |
| 2 | Lohri | 13 january | Saturday |
| 3 | Basant Panchmi/ Birthday of Satguru Ram Singh Ji | 22nd January | Monday |
| 4 | Nirwan Diwas of Bhagwan Adinath Ji | 27th January | Saturday |
| 5 | Maha Shivaratri | 14th February | Wednesday |
| 6 | Hola Mohalla | 2nd March | Friday |
| 7 | International Women Day | 8th March | Thursday |
| 8 | Shahidi Divas S. Bhagat Singh Ji | 23rd March | Friday |
| 9 | Birthday of Sri Guru Nabha Dass Ji | 08th April | Sunday |
| 10 | Vaisakhi | 14th April | Saturday |
| 11 | Lord Parshuram Jayanti | 18th April | Wednesday |
| 12 | Buddh Purnima | 30th April | Monday |
| 13 | May Day | 1st May | Tuesday |
| 14 | Nirjala Ekadashi | 23rd June | Thursday |
| 15 | Kabir Jayanti | 28th June | Thursday |
| 16 | Death Anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji | 29th June | Friday |
| 17 | Martyrdom Day of Shahid Udham Singh | 31st July | Tuesday |
| 18 | Id-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) | 22nd August | Wednesday |
| 19 | Birthday of Baba Jiwan Singh Ji | 5th September | Wednesday |
| 20 | Saragarhi Day | 12th September | Wednesday |
| 21 | Birthday of Baba Sri Chand Ji | 18th September | Tuesday |
| 22 | Muharram | 21st September | Friday |
| 23 | Anant Chaturdashi | 23th September | Sunday |
| 24 | Birthday of S. Bhagat Singh Ji | 28th September | Friday |
| 25 | Agarsain Jayanti | 10th October | Tuesday |
| 26 | Birthday of Bab Banda Singh Ji Bahadur | 16th October | Tuesday |
| 27 | Birthday of Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji | 26th October | Friday |
| 28 | Birthday of Sant Nam Dev Ji | 26th October | Friday |
| 29 | Karva Chauth | 27th October | Saturday |
| 30 | New Punjab Day | 1st November | Thursday |
| 31 | Vishwakarma Day | 8th November | Thursday |
| 32 | Goverdhan Pooja | 8th November | Thursday |
| 33 | Parkash Utsav Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji | 9th November | Friday |
| 34 | Martyrdom Day of S. Kartar Singh Sarabha Ji | 16th November | Friday |
| 35 | Birthday of Prophet Mohammad Sahib (Milad-un-Nabi or Id-e-Milad) | 21st November | Wednesday |
| 36 | Martyrdom Day of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji | 12th December | Wednesday |
| 37 | Jor Mel Fatehgarh Sahib | 26th, 27th and 28th December | Wednesday, Thursday and Friday |
COPY OF OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION of PUNJAB GOVERNMENT regarding HOLIDAYS in 2018:
[givew file=”https://sikhsiyasat.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/List-of-2018-holidays-in-Punjab.pdf”]