GTA declares August 20 official annual holiday to mark ‘Bhasa Manyata Diwas’

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 18 Aug 2023 | Darjeeling: Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) has declared August 20 an annual official holiday to mark ‘Bhasa Manyata Diwas’. 

All education institutions, GTA offices will remain closed on this day in the GTA area. A notification was also issued by the GTA on Friday. August 20 is also a gazetted holiday in the state of Sikkim, marking the ‘Nepali Bhasa Manyata Diwas.’ 

“The GTA has decided to declare Bhasa Manyata Diwas as an official holiday every year on August 20. This year August 20 falls on a Sunday. The GTA has received proposals from literary figures that Bhasa week be observed starting from August 20. We have had a meeting regarding this. 

For the year 2023, the GTA will organise programmes to commemorate Bhasa Diwas on August 31, the day on which the President had given assent to the Bill to incorporate Nepali in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution,” stated Anos Thapa, GTA SaBhasad in-charge of the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, GTA. 

An official notification was issued by the Personnel and Administrative department of GTA on Friday to this effect. 

The notification stated: “In terms of approval of competent authority of GTA, 20th August, every year is hereby declared as a holiday in different offices, public institutions, schools and colleges under the control and jurisdiction of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration on the occasion of ‘Nepali Bhasa Manyata Diwas.’” 

Incidentally, the Nepali language movement had taken shape with the demand to grant Nepali the official language status in India by including the language in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. 

Finally, on August 20, 1992 the Lok Sabha had passed a motion to add Nepali language in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution thereby making Nepali an official language of India. “It will take time but the GTA will surely promote Nepali as the official language of the GTA area so that office work, correspondence and official communication be carried out in the Nepali language,” added Thapa. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/gta-declares-august-20-official-annual-holiday-to-mark-bhasa-manyata-diwas-529682