The government has decided to review the number of public holidays enjoyed by the government employees on various festivals and other special occasions.

Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Karki informed a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday decided to review the public holidays. The Home Ministry has been directed to review the public holidays and come up with a report. The report will recommend the festivals that should be declared as national holidays, and will also suggest the holidays that need to be categorized as zonal, national or others, he added.

Karki said Home Ministry will finalise the report by next month.

The government decision to review public holidays came after opinions were sharply divided over providing holiday on National Unity day, also the birth day of former King Prithivi Narayan Shah, in the context of abolition of monarchy.

The National Unity day was marked by a holiday until it was annulled by the government formed after the 2006 people’s movement.