Kathmandu. Nepal government has issued a directive for all local levels regarding the use of formal names like local levels, provinces and country’s name. The ministry has taken the step to curb the variations seen in the writing of both Nepali and English names.

Section Officer at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Shekhar Nidhi Poudel  has informed that  the ministry has instructed all local levels to use the words in English as approved by the Council of Ministers, according to National News Agency (RSS). The Cabinet meeting on October 14 has approved the words used in the English translation of the Constitution of Nepal.

The government has also made the diplomatic missions aware about using the formal name ‘Nepal’ in place of ’Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal‘ as is in practice at present in the diplomatic circle to formally mention the name of the country.

Along with the alteration in the formal name of the country, the government has instructed the local levels not to use  ‘state ‘ but ‘province’ and  ‘Rural Municipality’ in place of ‘village body.’ The government has decided to give uniformity to 17 such names.

The decision  to use  ‘Nepal’ as  the formal name of the country instead of ’Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal‘ has already garnered criticism at different circles, though. Opinions abound that it’s wrong of the government to make the decision as only the Federal Parliament has the authority to change the provisions in the Constitution.

The Constitution of Nepal has defined Nepal State as “an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular, inclusive, democratic, socialism-oriented, federal democratic republican state”, hence changing the formal name will deem it as an unconstitutional act, constitutional experts say.