Odisha plans to make it mandatory for all commercial establishments in the state to use Odia prominently on their signboards, PTI reported on Wednesday. For this, the government plans to introduce an amendment to Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1956, in the Budget Session, which starts on March 20.

The state Cabinet approved a proposal to amend the law during a meeting led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday. The amendment will propose penalties ranging between Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,000 for the first violation and Rs 2,000 to Rs 25,000 for the second time, the Hindustan Times reported.

The decision to make Odia compulsory on signboards is to make it convenient for the public, Chief Secretary AP Padhi said. He said the government would build a website to monitor whether shops and commercial buildings in the state used Odia signboards.

Karnataka had introduced a similar rule in 2015.