India banks to strike for three days demanding two-day weekly off

Bank employees in India will go on a three-day strike from September 28 to 30 demanding a two-day weekly holiday. The United Forum of Bank Unions has called the strike.

Since September 26 falls on the fourth Saturday and September 27 on a Sunday, banking services are expected to remain disrupted for five consecutive days when combined with the strike.

Cheque payments worth an estimated Rs 15,000-20,000 crore Indian rupees could be affected during this period.

According to the rate set by Nepal Rastra Bank for Friday, the buying rate for Indian Rs 100 is Rs 160 and the selling rate is Rs 160.15. Based on this, the affected amount would be roughly Rs 24,000-32,000 crore in Nepali currency.

Millions of bank employees are expected to take part in the strike. However, some large private sector banks have said they will not join it. To keep essential services running, the Indian government is preparing to keep state-run bank branches open even on Sunday.