Biratnagar — The Province 1, Provincial Assembly has unanimously passed a bill providing for the use of 13 languages, including Maithili and Limbu, alongside Nepali in government business.
The passage of the bill on official languages establishes a legal framework for using additional languages in public services, based on their prevalence in particular areas and communities.
The bill provides for 13 languages spoken by more than one per cent of the province’s population to be used in government business in their respective original scripts. These include Maithili, Limbu, Tharu, Tamang, Magar, Bantawa, Urdu, Rajbanshi, Rai, Newar, Chamling, Sherpa and Santhal.
It also allows local governments to enact legislation permitting the use of languages spoken by the majority of residents within their jurisdictions for official purposes.
Social Development Minister Gita Timsina described the bill as an important step towards ensuring linguistic justice in the province. She said the necessary regulations and procedures would be prepared to bring the provisions into effect soon.
The bill also provides for the formation of a 19-member expert group, chaired by the social development minister, to support the preservation and development of languages spoken in the province.
