The Manipur government has announced on Wednesday that March 31 (Easter Sunday) will be considered as working days for all government employees. This decision comes in light of ensuring the smooth functioning of government offices towards the end of the financial year. A notification issued by Angom Heera Singh, Deputy Secretary (GAD), Government of Manipur, stated, “The Governor of Manipur is pleased to declare 30th (Saturday) and 31st (Sunday) March, 2024, as working days for all government offices including public sector undertakings/corporations/autonomous bodies/societies under the state government of Manipur for smooth functioning of offices in the last few days of the financial Year (2023-2024).”
The move aims to facilitate administrative tasks and ensure the efficient operation of government establishments during the final days of the financial year. Easter Sunday, traditionally celebrated by Christians worldwide to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death, holds significant religious importance. The announcement has also triggered outrage in the ethnic violence-hit state. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF), an umbrella body of tribal groups, said the order would hurt the sentiments of the Christian community. “There are many Christians in Manipur. Sunday is a day of rest and we have Easter Sunday,” said ITLF spokesperson Ginza Vualzong. Poumai Naga Tsiidoumai Me, an apex body of Naga student groups, issued a statement requesting the government to withdraw the order. Manipur’s 2.8 million Christians accounted for 40.1% of the state’s population as per the 2011 census. They belong to tribes such as Kukis, Zo, and Nagas.