Bhubaneswar, Oct 18: The Odisha government on Saturday announced October 20 as an additional holiday for Diwali. Earlier, the state had announced October 21 as a holiday for the festival of lights.

With this, there will be two holidays this Diwali- on October 20 and 21. However, in the Nuapada district, offices will remain open due to the upcoming bypoll.

In a notification released today, the state government stated that to accommodate the additional holiday on October 20, the state has rescheduled the fourth Saturday, October 25, as a working day.

On October 20, offices in Nuapada will continue to function normally due to electoral obligations, whereas offices across the rest of the state will remain closed, the government stated.

Earlier, the Revenue Department had proposed October 20 as a public holiday for Diwali, awaiting approval from the Chief Minister.

This suggestion followed recommendations from the Srimandir Mukti Mandap Pandit Mahasabha, which had stated that key rituals including ‘Paya Shradha’ or ‘Deepadaana Shradha’ begin on the evening of October 20.