In a move aimed at promoting the Bengali language, the Suvendu Adhikari government in Bengal announced that the use of the state’s official language will be mandatory across all state government offices from 1 September.
Making the announcement in the Assembly on the opening day of the monsoon session, the chief minister said all official correspondence, government notifications and administrative work, including police station records, would gradually be conducted in Bengali after the government completes the necessary preparatory work over the next six weeks.
The Chief Minister said the decision followed a recent letter from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had urged the state government to accord greater priority to Bengali in official functioning and highlighted the language’s rich literary and cultural heritage.
Reading out the letter in the House, Adhikari said the state had accepted the suggestion and decided to make Bengali the principal language of governance. He added that the government would use the intervening period to translate official formats, manuals and other administrative documents to ensure a smooth transition before the new system comes into effect on 1 September.
“From September 1, Bengali will be mandatory in all government offices across the state. Necessary translation work and other preparations will be completed before the deadline,” the chief minister said.
He also announced that the state government would increase the use of Hindi in its correspondence with the Centre.
Referring to another recommendation made by Shah, Adhikari said official communications sent to the Union government would no longer be drafted in English but in Hindi, in keeping with the Centre’s emphasis on the use of Indian languages in inter-governmental communication.
The Union home minister had also suggested that the state make use of software developed by the Department of Official Language under the Union government for translation and language support.
The state government, Adhikari said, would examine and utilise those resources wherever required. Addressing the Assembly, the Chief Minister said Bengali, as the mother tongue of the people of the state, deserved wider use in governance and public administration.
Along with Bengali, Hindi would also be used where necessary, particularly in communications with the Centre.
“The mother tongue must find its rightful place in every sphere of government administration. We will issue and receive official letters in Bengali, while correspondence with the Centre will also be undertaken in Hindi,” he said.
The announcement was welcomed across the Assembly. Speaker Rathindranath Basu said he had earlier conveyed to Shah his wish that Assembly proceedings be conducted entirely in Bengali.
He said the Union home minister had responded positively to the proposal and described the latest decision as an important step towards strengthening the language’s role in public institutions.
Monday marked the beginning of the monsoon session of the Assembly. The announcement comes after the Centre accorded classical language status to Bengali, a development the state government said had further reinforced the need to promote the language in official administration.
Officials said departments have been instructed to complete translation work and make the required administrative changes before the new language policy comes into force on 1 September.