Koshi Province begins using 13 more languages for official business alongside Nepali
A provincial law authenticated on 28 October took effect on 10 November. It goes well beyond the Language Commission’s recommendation of Maithili and Limbu.
Koshi Province in eastern Nepal has begun implementing a law that makes 13 languages official for provincial government business in addition to Nepali. Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki announced implementation on 10 November 2026 (24 Kartik 2083 BS), the birth anniversary of Mahaguru Falgunanda Lingden, The Kathmandu Post reported. The Office of the Province Chief authenticated the Act on 28 October (11 Kartik).
The languages are Maithili, Limbu, Rai, Tharu, Tamang, Magar, Bantawa, Urdu, Rajbanshi, Nepal Bhasa (Newar), Chamling, Sherpa and Santhali, bringing the number of official languages in the province to 14. The provincial government also said it would mark a Province Language Day every year.
What the Constitution says
Article 7(1) of the Constitution of Nepal makes Nepali in the Devanagari script the official language of the country. Article 7(2) allows a province, by provincial law, to adopt one or more other national languages “spoken by a majority of people” within the province as additional official languages. Article 7(3) leaves other language matters to the federal government, acting on the recommendation of the Language Commission.
The Language Commission had recommended only Maithili and Limbu for Koshi, and the provincial government’s original bill covered just those two. The final law adds eleven more. Given the “majority” wording in Article 7(2), the choice of languages and the weight of the Commission’s advice may become a legal question; no court challenge has been reported so far.
How the bill was passed
The Provincial Assembly passed the bill on Saturday, 10 October (24 Asoj). According to Onlinekhabar, the Social Development Committee’s first draft gave priority to Maithili and Limbu and proposed recognising the other eleven as local languages. After the Kirat Rai Yayokkha surrounded the assembly in protest, the sitting was suspended and talks produced an agreement to treat all 13 equally.
Committee chair Gayanand Mandal tabled a new report the same afternoon and the bill was passed that day. Some members complained that they had no time to read it; Assembly Secretary Sudarshan Khadka said the report could not be circulated “because of the hurry”. Speaker Ambar Bahadur Bista said the law was expected to bring the province’s linguistic diversity into government work.
What to watch
No detailed implementation plan has been published: which offices will use which languages, for which documents and services, and who will supply translation and staff. Nyayapalika could not locate the official text of the Act or its publication in the provincial gazette. A July 2025 memorandum reported by Kantipur claimed that Bagmati and Gandaki provinces had already passed similar laws on the Language Commission’s recommendation.
Sources
This article will be updated when the official text of the provincial Act is available.
Other reporting
- Koshi recognises 13 additional languages for official use — The Kathmandu Post, 11 Nov 2026
- Koshi language bill passed after protest, without MPs being able to read it (in Nepali) — Onlinekhabar, 10 Oct 2026
- Koshi Assembly passes five bills, determines official languages (in Nepali) — Kantipur, 14 Oct 2026
- Memorandum to make Limbu and Maithili official languages (in Nepali) — Kantipur, 15 Jul 2025
- Constitution of Nepal, Article 7: official language (in Nepali) — Nepal Laws
