The Koshi provincial government has brought into effect a law recognising 13 languages, in addition to Nepali, for official use, formalising the province’s linguistic diversity.

Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki announced the implementation of the multilingual government policy on Tuesday, marking the birth anniversary of Mahaguru Falgunanda Lingden. The move takes the total number of languages recognised for official use in the province to 14, including Nepali.

Under the constitutional provisions, the Language Commission had recommended that Maithili and Limbu be used for official government business in Koshi. But the provincial government went beyond the commission’s recommendations, adding 11 more languages to reflect the province’s ethnic and linguistic diversity.

Besides Maithili and Limbu, the newly recognised languages are Rai, Tharu, Tamang, Magar, Bantawa, Urdu, Rajbanshi, Nepal Bhasa, Chamling, Sherpa and Santhali.

The measure became possible after the Office of the Province Chief authenticated the Act on the Provision of Official Languages in the Province on October 28.

The provincial government has also announced that it will observe a Province Language Day every year to protect and promote linguistic diversity.

In a message marking the occasion, Karki described the implementation of the multilingual policy as a significant achievement for the province. He said the government was committed to protecting the languages, cultures, traditions and scripts practised in Koshi, and to recognising the identities of all ethnic communities.