In view of the upcoming municipal elections in Uttarakhand, January 23 has been declared a paid holiday across the state. Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman issued a revised order on Tuesday extending the holiday to all government, semi-government, private establishments, and educational institutions, which was earlier restricted to municipal areas only.
According to the order, government offices, corporations, councils, commercial establishments, private institutions, banks, treasuries, and sub-treasuries will remain closed. Labor Secretary Dr. Pankaj Kumar Pandey also released a notification mandating paid leave in factories on the polling day. Managers of continuous process industries have been instructed to ensure employees have adequate opportunities to vote.
The decision aims to encourage voter participation and ensure that every citizen exercises their democratic rights.
