Chandigarh: The Punjab government has more than halved the number of holidays of its employees for 2018, causing resentment in all segments.

In 2018, government employees will get 18 gazetted holidays, down from 37. The Congress government said it was aimed at improving administrative services.

The number of restricted (optional) holidays has been increased to 39 from 20, with a cap of five on each official.

The birth and martyrdom of Bhagat Singh and Baisakhi are among those shifted to the restricted holidays list .

"The decision was taken to ensure that government offices remain open for more days for people and also increase the number of schooldays. The number of restricted holidays has been increased and the employees can choose according to their preferences," a government spokesperson said.

The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the highest religious body of the Sikhs, is upset with the government for leaving out from the list of gazetted holidays the Khalsa Srijana Diwas which coincides with Baisakhi.