A viral document claiming that the Centre has declared every Saturday a public holiday for public sector banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI), is fake.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check clarified on October 1 that no such notification has been issued by the Ministry of Finance. The clarification came after a purported Gazette notification began circulating on social media, claiming that all Saturdays would be holidays for public sector banks.
Under the current banking holiday system, banks remain closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. The first, third and fifth Saturdays continue to be working days. Sundays and other holidays under the applicable banking calendar also remain unchanged.
The viral claim comes amid an ongoing demand from bank employee unions for a five-day working week. The government had introduced holidays on the second and fourth Saturdays in 2015, while discussions over extending the arrangement to all Saturdays have continued.
The Indian Banks’ Association has formed a high-level committee to discuss the implementation of a five-day banking week. However, any change would require the necessary regulatory and legislative process.
For now, customers should continue to follow the existing bank holiday schedule and verify such announcements through official government sources before relying on viral documents.
