WASHINGTON: Recognising the growing influence of the Indian community in the US, six top American lawmakers today asked the New York City schools to include Diwali in the list of public holidays. 

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Religious Identification Survey in 2008, there were 582,000 Hindus, 78,000 Sikhs, and 1,189,000 Buddhists in the United States.

According to the Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey, there were 207,414 New York City residents who identify themselves as Asian Indian, of which many are adherents of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, or Buddhism

Thus its Resolved that The Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York City Department of Education to establish Diwali as an official holiday for New York City public school students.