High level panel to decide Nepal Era as official calendar
Kathmandu: Amid demands that Nepal Era be
used as the official calendar of the country, Prime Minister
Madhav Kumar Nepal today said his government will soon set up
a high-level task force to decide on the matter.
Nepal's assurance came as tens of thousands of people
belonging to the ethnic Newar community toady observed the
1130th Nepal Era and demanded that Kathmandu be declared as an
autonomous state.
They also demanded that laws be enacted to implement the
government's decision to give Nepal Era recognition as the
official calendar of the country.
Currently, the Nepalese government follows the Vikram Era
calender started by Indian emperor Vikramaditya as a
commemoration of his victory upon the Shaks.
A rally was organised from Basantapur to Durbarsquare
today to mark the beginning of the new year, as per the Newar
Calendar initiated by Sankhadhar Shakhwa in 9th century AD
when he relieved all the people of Kathmandu from loans by
paying debt from his personal assets.
Last year, the Unified CPN (Maoist)-led government had
pledged to give Nepal Era recognition as national calendar.
However, no laws were enacted to this effect till date.
Bureau Report