Bengali mandatory in all govt departments from September 1: CM Adhikari
Kolkata, July 20
On the first day of the extended Budget Session, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced in the Assembly that from September 1, the use of Bengali as the official language will be obligatory in the operations of every government department in West Bengal.
Addressing the House, the Chief Minister informed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who came to the state for a three-day visit last week, had written a letter to the Chief Minister suggesting further use of the language in government departments.
After reading the letter on the floor of the House on Monday, the Chief Minister said that following the suggestion of the Union Home Minister, Bengali as an official language in the functioning of different state government departments has been made mandatory.
According to him, the state government needs some time to prepare the process, and hence, will start from September 1. Bengali will be introduced in all official letters, notifications and even in Police Station communications, he added.
"It will take the next one and a half months to properly translate everything that is needed to make the work easier. The government will do that work," the Chief Minister said.
On Sunday, at a function in Kolkata in the presence of the Union Home Minister, the Chief Minister informed that HM Shah had written a letter to him suggesting measures to spread the use of Bengali.
However, on Sunday, CM Adhikari refused to spell out the contents of the letter, saying he would first inform the House about its contents on Monday. Going by his promise, as the session started at 11 a.m. on Monday, the first thing the Chief Minister did was read out the letter.
Thereafter, he said the decision to make Bengali mandatory in the functioning of every government department in West Bengal from September 1 has been taken following the suggestion of the Union Home Minister.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I appreciate promoting Bengali, we must be practical. Many government documents are in English or Hindi, and translating everything in just 1.5 months might lead to errors. Hope the government doesn't rush this and ensures proper implementation without compromising efficiency.
Finally! Our state language getting its due respect. Bengali literature, culture, and identity will be strengthened. But why did it take a letter from the Union Home Minister to implement this? Shouldn't the state government have done this earlier on its own? 🤔
This is good news for our Bangla-speaking brothers and sisters. However, what about the non-Bengali speakers who live in West Bengal? There are many Marwari, Bihari, and tribal communities too. Hope the government makes some provisions for them as well. Inclusivity is key! 🙏
I support this fully! When I went to a police station last year, the officer couldn't understand my Bengali properly and I had to struggle with broken Hindi. This will make things so much easier for the average Bengali citizen. Jai Bangla! 🎉
This is a positive step, but I'm a bit skeptical about the timing. Why announce during the budget session? And why wait until September 1? It feels like political posturing before the next elections. Just implement it properly without drama, please.
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