PIB debunks fake order claiming all saturdays are public holidays for public sector banks

PIB Fact Check has debunked a fake government notification circulating on social media that claimed all Saturdays have been declared public holidays for public sector banks, including SBI. The Ministry of Finance issued no such order, and citizens are urged to verify claims via official channels before sharing.

New Delhi: The Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check unit on Thursday dismissed as fake a purported government gazette notification circulating on social media that claims the Centre has declared every Saturday a public holiday for all public sector banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI).

In a post on social media platform X, PIB Fact Check clarified that no such notification has been issued by the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Financial Services.

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The agency said the document being shared online is fake and does not represent any official government order.

“A Gazette circulating on social media , purportedly issued by the Ministry of Finance (Department of Financial Services), claims that the Central Government has declared every Saturday a public holiday for all Public Sector Banks , including SBI. The document being circulated is fake,” it said.

The fact-checking unit urged the public not to rely on unverified documents circulating on social media and advised citizens to verify government-related information through official channels before sharing it further.

“No such notification has been issued by Finance Ministry declaring every Saturday as public holiday for public sector banks,” it said.

“Flag suspicious content related to the Central Government to PIB Fact Check,” it added.

The clarification came after the widely circulated document claimed that all public sector banks would remain closed every Saturday following a purported decision by the Central Government.

However, PIB Fact Check firmly denied the claim, stating that no notification declaring every Saturday as a public holiday for public sector banks has been issued by the Finance Ministry.

PIB also encouraged people to report suspicious content related to the Central Government to its Fact Check team to help curb the spread of misinformation online.

This comes after the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) last week deferred its three-day nationwide strike early next week, following an eleventh-hour meeting with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA).

According to a statement released by the bank union, the IBA and UFBU met on Sunday. After talks, both sides agreed to defer the nationwide bank strike.