Odia has been made mandatory for official work in Odisha
The Naveen Patnaik government introduced an ordinance to enforce the Official Language Act, 1954 for all administrative and judicial communication in the state.
Odia, the language locally spoken in Odisha, has been made mandatory for official communication in the state, reported The Telegraph. The Naveen Patnaik government introduced an ordinance to the Official Language Act, 1954, to enforce the use of the language in administrative and judicial work.
According to the Odisha Official Language (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016, the state can penalise anyone who violates the code with a fine of Rs 2,000. For government employees, the fine will be Rs 10,000, the English daily said, quoting a source. A committee, headed by the chief secretary or a principal secretary, will oversee the implementation of the rule and mete out the penalty to lawbreakers.
While the ordinance is already in effect, the Official Language Act, 1954 will be enforced from August 15. “The state government is taking all steps for full implementation of the Odisha Official Language Act. The Ordinance has already come into effect,” Law Minister Arun Sahoo told The Indian Express.