The Utkal Sammilani congratulated BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik for being sworn in as Chief Minister for a fifth consecutive term and hoped that his Government would confer State anthem status on the famous song ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ soon.
“The Utkal Sammilani hopes that the Chief Minister will give State anthem status to ‘Bande Utkala Janani’ song, written by Kantakabi Laxmikant Mahapatra, during his fifth term,” said Sammilani Mancheswar Industrial Branch president Dillip Dashsharma in a statement.
Dashsharma said Patnaik had started Odia alphabet writing centres in his first term and Odia Bhasa Pratisthan in the second term. Similarly, he changed the name of the State from Orissa to Odisha and ensured classical status for Odia language in the third term.
In fourth term, the CM enacted the Odisha Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2018 making penal provisions for non-compliance and reward for extensive use of Odia by the State Government officials in official communication.
So, the Sammilani hopes that the Chief Minister would accord State anthem status to the Bande Utkala Janani during his firth term, said Dashsharma.