scorecardresearch
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeWorldNepal's Province 2 bordering India named 'Madhes Pradesh'

Nepal’s Province 2 bordering India named ‘Madhes Pradesh’

Follow Us :
Text Size:

Kathmandu, Jan 18 (PTI) Nepal’s south-eastern Province 2 bordering India has been named Madhes Pradesh with Janakpur retained as its capital, settling a long-standing debate on the region’s official reference after it was made a province in 2015.

The Provincial Assembly on Monday voted in two-thirds majority for both decisions. Of the 99 voting members, 78 voted for Janakpur as capital and 80 voted for the provincial name Madhes.

Madhes is Nepal’s smallest province in terms of area but second largest in terms of population. It borders India (Bihar) in the south and has eight districts – Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Dhanusha, Siraha and Saptari.

Majority of the population in the region is of Indian descent and Maithili is the most widely spoken language.

Senior Lokatantrik Samajwadi Party leader Rajendra Mahato said the new province name is a milestone in Nepal moving towards complete federalism, with the identity of Madhesis.

Colloquially Madhesi means people from the southern plains. In Hindu religious text, Madesh refers to Lord Shiva.

Province 2, or Madhes Pradesh now, was formed after Nepal’s new Constitution came into effect in September 2015, turning the country into a ‘Federal Democratic Republic’.

Before attaining provincial status, Madhesi parties had extensively campaigned for greater rights, representation and autonomy. Nearly 50 people had died in agitations between September 2015 and February 2016.

The provincial government declared a public holiday on Tuesday to mark the occasion.

Janata Samajbadi Party Chairperson Upendra Yadav said that naming Province 2 as Madhes Province has honoured the Madhes movement.

“The sacrifice of Madhes people and their dream is reflected in the naming of the province as Madhes. We’re happy to have this name for our province,” he said addressing a celebration program on Monday.

Minister for Physical Infrastructures and Transport, Renu Kumari Yadav, also said the dispute entrenched for long on naming the province has now ended. “We are proud of Madhes Province,” she said.

The province got its name nearly four years after the provincial assembly election. Of the seven provinces in Nepal, only Province 1 remains to be named. PTI SBP IND ZH AKJ IND IND

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

  • Tags

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular