Assam Legislative Assembly introduces Hindi as official language for proceedings; budget session begins July 6
Guwahati, July 5
For the first time in the history of the Assam Legislative Assembly, the Hindi language has been introduced in the State Assembly. This initiative has been taken under the leadership of Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass.
Along with the Assamese, English and Bodo languages, the Hindi language will be introduced in the state assembly from July 6, on the first day of the budget session of the 16th Assam Legislative Assembly.
Dass told ANI that the decision of the induction of Hindi language was taken in the General Purpose Committee meeting of the Assam Legislative Assembly, which was held on Saturday under his chairmanship.
"In the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika, Minister Keshab Mahanta, Opposition Leader Wazed Ali Chowdhury, MLAs Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Sabharam Basumatary, Chakradhar Gogoi, Joy Prakash Das were present. In the meeting, we have decided to introduce the Hindi language in the state assembly. Earlier, three languages - Assamese, English and Bodo - were here, and for the first time, the Hindi language has been introduced. Hindi is Rashtra Bhasha, and to recognise it, we have decided to introduce the Hindi language," Dass said.
He further said that, earlier, there was a channel named ALA (Assam Legislative Assembly), and it will be renamed Assam Vidhan Sabha TV from Monday.
"In the coming days, we will try to make Assam Vidhan Sabha TV like Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV. From July 6, the Budget Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly will begin, and it will be 21 working days and will continue till July 31. The State Budget will be tabled on July 10," the Assam Assembly Speaker said.
He also said that, as of now, 10 new bills have been introduced in the session.
On the other hand, talking about the recent visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to India, the Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker said that Assam will definitely get benefits from the Japanese Prime Minister's visit to India.
He also talked about Assam's GST collection growth and said that, along with the state government's efforts, credit also goes to the taxpayers of Assam.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is a welcome step for national integration! As someone who travels across states for work, I see how Hindi bridges communication gaps. But honestly, Assam already has a strong identity - why not focus on making the existing three-language system work better first? The Vidhan Sabha TV rename to Hindi is a bit unnecessary, feels like political symbolism over substance. 🤔
As an Assamese, I'm not too thrilled. We already have Assamese and English working perfectly fine in the assembly. Adding Hindi just seems like another imposition from the centre. The Speaker keeps mentioning "Rashtra Bhasha" - but India has no national language! Hindi is an official language. This move might create more confusion than unity. The budget session should focus on real issues like flood management and infrastructure. 😤
Having lived in Guwahati for 3 years (originally from US), I can see both sides. Hindi is widely understood in Assam's cities, but rural areas are more comfortable with Assamese. The move feels like a political statement rather than a practical necessity. The channel rename is particularly questionable - "Vidhan Sabha" is Hindi, not Assamese. Why not "Assam Vidhan Sabha TV" in multiple languages? The GST growth and Japanese PM visit mentions seem like distraction tactics. 🤷
I appreciate the sentiment of recognizing Hindi, but this seems rushed. The Speaker talks about making Assam Vidhan Sabha TV like Lok Sabha TV - that's a good ambition! But why not first improve the existing setup? Also, 10 new bills in a 21-day session is tight. Hope the focus remains on Assam's development - especially the flood situation and education. The Japanese PM visit benefits are yet to be seen, let's not jump the gun. 🙏
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