Netaji birthday again declared public holiday in Jharkhand

The Jharkhand government has declared January 23 as a public holiday to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, five years after it was dropped from the list of holidays in the state.

The day was removed from the list of holidays between 2015 and 2019, though 'Netaji Jayanti' had been a holiday till 2014, an official release said here.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren, during a review meeting on Tuesday, ordered that January 23 be declared a public holiday, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a press release.

"Jharkhand had been the 'karma bhoomi' (work place) of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, whose contribution in the freedom movement can never be forgotten. We all should take inspiration from his life," the release said, quoting Soren.

The chief minister also called upon the youth to follow the footsteps of Netaji and serve the state and the nation, it added.

Soren is leading a JMM-Congress-RJD coalition government in Jharkhand since December last year, unseating the BJP from power which ruled the state from 2014 to 2019.