Central government offices in Delhi and New Delhi will remain closed on September 11, 2026, as the national capital prepares to host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit.
The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions issued an official memorandum on Thursday announcing the closure. The decision was taken considering the magnitude of the event, the substantial logistical arrangements involved and the need to minimise inconvenience to the general public.
The Delhi government had earlier declared September 11 a holiday for all government offices, autonomous bodies and public sector undertakings under the Delhi government.
The BRICS Business Forum and the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit will be held from September 11 to 13 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
The summit is expected to be attended by leaders from around 30 BRICS member and partner countries, heads of international organisations and business representatives from BRICS nations, including India.
The closure of central government offices on September 11 is also expected to help ease the impact of the extensive security and traffic arrangements that will be put in place across the capital during the high-level event.
September 12 and 13 fall on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
India assumed the BRICS chairship for 2026 on January 1, with the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.
The theme reflects India’s stated focus on a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of “Humanity First”.
Under India's chairship, more than 350 meetings and high-level engagements have been held in over 25 cities. These engagements have focused on strengthening cooperation across BRICS' political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people pillars.
India is a founding member of BRICS and has previously held the chairship in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
The 2026 chairship is India’s fourth and coincides with BRICS completing 20 years since its establishment.
