The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Set right disparity in bank holidays’

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Thursday, Jan 10, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Set right disparity in bank holidays’

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The former Minister and MLC Ramachandra Gowda has urged Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to ensure parity in festival holidays between nationalised banks and that of the State Government.

In a letter addressed to the Union Finance Minister, copies of which have been sent to Governor Rameshwar Thakur and Regional Director of the Reserve Bank of India Devaki Muthukrishnan, the former Minister said the holidays for the banks for the current year were comparatively less than what had been given to State Government employees.

It was also much less (only 19 for the current year) than what has been given to the banks in Kerala (25) and West Bengal (20).

Interestingly, a similar situation prevailed last year and it was set right following a representation made by the State Government, he claimed.

According to the list of holidays announced for bank employees for the calendar year 2008, no holiday has been declared for the major festivals such as Makara Sankaranthi (January 15), Mahaveer Jayanti (April 18), Basaveshwara Jayanti ((May 8), Mahalaya Amavasya (September 29) Ayudha Puja (October 8) and Naraka Chaturdasi (October 27). In contrast, the State Government has declared a holiday for all these festivals.

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