Will all PSU banks remain closed every Saturday? Here’s what PIB Fact Check said

New Delhi: The Press Information Bureau's (PIB) Fact Check unit has dismissed as fake a purported government gazette 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 X, PIB Fact Check clarified that the Ministry of Finance's Department of Financial Services has not issued any such notification.

The fact-checking unit said the document being circulated 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.

PIB Fact Check urged the public not to trust unverified documents circulating on social media and advised citizens to verify government-related information through official channels before sharing such claims.

"No such notification has been issued by the Finance Ministry declaring every Saturday as a 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 purported gazette was widely shared online, claiming that all public sector banks would remain closed every Saturday following a decision by the Central Government.

PIB Fact Check, however, reiterated that no notification declaring every Saturday a public holiday for public sector banks has been issued by the Finance Ministry.

The agency 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.

The clarification comes days after the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) deferred a proposed three-day nationwide bank 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. Following the discussions, both sides agreed to defer the nationwide strike.