All public and private banks across India will remain operational on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, despite widespread Lohri celebrations in northern regions of the country. The Reserve Bank of India's official holiday calendar confirms that no bank holiday has been declared for the festival.

Banking Operations Continue Normally

According to the RBI bank holiday calendar, Lohri does not qualify as a designated bank holiday, ensuring that banking services remain uninterrupted across the nation. This means customers can access all regular banking services, including branch operations, on January 13.

RBI Holiday Framework

The Reserve Bank of India establishes bank holidays at the beginning of each year, creating a comprehensive calendar that banks nationwide must follow. This systematic approach ensures consistency in banking operations while accommodating both national and select regional observances.

Standard Bank Closure Schedule

Banks typically remain closed on:

• Second and fourth Saturdays of each month
• All Sundays
• National holidays
• Select regional festivals as designated by RBI

Regional Festival Impact

While Lohri holds significant cultural importance in northern India, particularly in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi, its celebration does not extend to banking sector closures. The festival, traditionally marking the end of winter and celebrating the harvest season, will be observed by communities without affecting financial services.

Customers planning banking activities on January 13 can proceed with their transactions as scheduled, with all branches maintaining regular operating hours despite the ongoing festival celebrations in various parts of the country.

The Reserve Bank of India injected ₹50,000 crore into the banking system through open market purchase auctions on Monday, witnessing overwhelming demand from market participants who bid more than double the notified amount.

Strong Market Response to OMO

The central bank's open market operations attracted significant interest, with participants offering ₹1.22 lakh crore against the announced ₹50,000 crore. The 6.64% GS 2035 government security paper emerged as the most sought-after instrument, receiving the maximum number of bids during the auction.

Upcoming Liquidity Operations

The RBI has scheduled additional liquidity support measures in the coming days to maintain adequate system liquidity:

• January 22: Another OMO purchase operation for ₹50,000 crore
• Tuesday: Dollar-rupee buy/sell swap operation for $10 billion

These coordinated measures are designed to return systemic liquidity to surplus levels and contain volatility in short-term funding rates across the banking system.

Market Participants' Perspective

"We can see from the amount offered that the response to the OMO was good. Participants would want to sell from the held to maturity (HTM) books and book profits in the last quarter of the year," explained Gopal Tripathi, head of treasury at Jana Small Finance Bank.

The strong response reflects banks' strategy to optimize their investment portfolios and realize gains from their HTM securities during the final quarter of the financial year.

Current Liquidity Conditions

System liquidity has maintained a mild surplus position, averaging ₹38,728 crore in January. However, this surplus serves multiple regulatory requirements beyond general market operations.

"Whatever surplus is in the system is used to fulfill other liquidity conditions of CRR and LCR," noted Rajeev Pawar, head of treasury at Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, highlighting how available liquidity supports various regulatory compliance requirements.

The RBI's proactive liquidity management through these operations demonstrates its commitment to maintaining stable funding conditions while ensuring adequate money supply for banking system operations.