California on Tuesday became the third US state to designate Indian festival – Diwali – as an official statewide holiday.

According to Associated Press, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill on Diwali into law. The bill will come into effect on January 1.

As per the law, the state employees will be able to take the day off and public school students will get an excused absence to celebrate the holiday.

Pennsylvania was the first US state to make Diwali a statewide holiday in 2024. The next state was Connecticut.

AP quoted assembly member Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San Jose who coauthored the bill with Darshana Patel, an assembly member from San Diego, as saying: “To have South Asian children be able to proudly celebrate and share it with others is a significant moment."

According to 2

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