The Bhasha Suraksha Sammilani, which is spearheading a movement for implementation of Odisha Official language Act, reiterated its demand for constituting a language Commission on its fourth foundation day held here on Friday.
Karnataka’s Kannada language Development Commission Chairman Prof GS Siddaramaiah gracing as chief said a language act can’t be implemented without having a language Commission. Highlighting about the functioning of the Kannada Development Commission, he said the Karnataka Government has empowered the Kannada Development Commission to take action against those ranging from businessmen, teachers, Government clerks to the Chief Secretary if they don’t use Kannada in their spheres.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare and Cooperation Minister Surjya Narayan Patro inaugurating the event said the State Government is fully committed to implement the language act.
leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said the State Government has no intention to implement the language Act while he has already demanded umpteen times in the State Assembly for constitution of a language Commission.
Sambad editor Soumyaranjan Patnaik demanded that the State Government set up a language Commission soon for implementation of the act properly.
Sammilani president Baishnab Parida said the Odisha Government should follow the Karnataka Government and establish a language Commission soon.
Ravenshaw University Vice-Chancellor Prof Prakash Chandra Sarangi lamented that there is no Odia Chair in any of universities while the Government has set up Odia Chairs in other States where there are no students to study Odia.
Former MP Shibaji Patnaik and Kannada Development Commision Secretary Dr Muralidharan said each resident of a State has the right to study his mother-tongue and get justice and governance in the language.
The occasion marked the release of the special edition of Sammilani’s souvenir, ‘Bhasha Suraksha’.
Among others, former Finance Ministers Prafulla Ghadei and Panchanan Kanungo, linguist Debi Prasanna Patnaik, Prof Nityananda Satpathy, Justice Hrudya Ballav Das, Prof Raj Kishore Mishra and former DGP SN Tiwari were present.