The ward committee of Mangsebung Rural Municipality-5, Ilam, has declared Limbu language as the official language of the ward.

Limbu language, written in Kirat-Sirijonga script, will be the official language in ward no 5 of the municipality.

 After holding discussion with the representatives of major political parties, local intellectuals and various social organisations, the ward committee recently announced the decision.

Limbu is the major ethnic group residing in Mansebung-5. Around 75 percent of the ward’s total population is Limbu.

Dikendra Idingo, chief of the rural municipality, said the local unit decided to use Limbu as the official language in respect of the local people and their mother tongue.

The decision was taken with the consent of the local people, he added.

However, the decision has not been implemented immediately. The local unit is yet to appoint language interpreters for the implementation. “We are preparing for the implementation of the decision. We will use Limbu language during official work from the third week of November,” said ward chairman Narendra Rai.  

The ward committee plans to form a five-member volunteer committee to help implement the decision. The volunteers will help the officials to carry out work in Limbu language until the appointment of interpreters. 

The rural municipality, however, will use both Devnagiri and Kirat-Sirijonga scripts in sign boards of schools and all other government offices in the local unit.

According to the constitutional provisions, the local units have an authority to pick any national language as the official language of that unit.