The Utkal Sammilani felicitated the Odia students, who held a Padayatra from Sambalpur to Bhubaneswar to promote and promulgate the Odia language, at VSS Nagar here on Saturday.
At a felicitation meeting held on the occasion, Sammilani Mancheswar Industrial Estate branch head Dillip Dashsharma lauded the noble initiative taken by the students.
Earlier, a statue of Veer Surendra Sai was garlanded. Among others, Sammilani Bhubaneswar branch president Bibhuti Mishra, State vice-president Ananta Praad Jena, general secretary Adwaita Patra and local Durga Puja Committee advisor Siba Prasad Mishra were present.
In a separate instance in the day, the Bhasa Suraksha Sammiani felicitated an Odia students’ group from Viswa Bharati Santiniketan here in front of the Utkal University main gate after they undertook a Padayatra from Sambalpur to Bhubaneswar to promote Odia language.
They have demanded to recruit Odia teachers in all the schools of Odisha and use of Odia language in the Government works.
The Viswa Bharati students’ initiative to love and promote the language would inspire the students and youth of Odisha, said the Sammilani president ad MP Baishnab Parida. Among others, Nityananda Satpathy, Nilamadhab Sahoo and Bashudev Bag, were present.