January 2026 brings a holiday bonanza for West Bengal government employees, with the possibility of up to 10 days off including weekends, if a single day of leave is taken strategically.
According to the state government calendar, Saturday, January 10 and Sunday, January 11 are regular weekend holidays. January 12 is Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, while Wednesday, January 14 is Makar Sankranti. If an employee takes casual leave on Tuesday, January 13, it results in a five-day continuous break.
Another long stretch comes towards the end of the month. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birthday and Saraswati Puja fall on January 23. This is followed by Saturday, January 24 and Sunday, January 25, while Monday, January 26 is a holiday on account of Republic Day. This creates a four-day break without taking any leave.
In addition, government employees will also get a holiday on January 1, along with all Saturdays and Sundays during the month.
The year will include extended festival breaks, most notably during Durga Puja.
As per the holiday list issued by the state Finance department, Durga Puja and Kojagari Lakshmi Puja together will account for a 12-day stretch of holidays. Leave has been granted on October 15, 16 and 17 for Chaturthi, Panchami and Sasthi. October 18, a Sunday, coincides with Maha Saptami, followed by holidays on October 19, 20 and 21 for Ashtami, Nabami and Dashami.
October 22, 23 and 24 have been declared additional Puja holidays. Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday, October 25, with October 26 marked as an additional holiday, effectively giving government employees nearly half of October off.
In November, employees will again get over 10 days of leave due to Kali Puja and Chhath Puja. However, six festival holidays in 2026 fall on Sundays, including Shivaratri (February 15), Durga Puja Saptami (October 18), Lakshmi Puja (October 25), Kali Puja (November 8), Chhath Puja and Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary (November 15).
In 2026, state government employees will receive 27 holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act and 26 holidays under state government orders, totalling 53 official holidays. Combined with 52 Saturdays and 52 Sundays, the total number of non-working days crosses 150.