The Shatriya Odia Kriyanusthan Committee on Sunday slammed the State Government for not taking any step for establishing a Centre of Excellence for research in Odia language after three years’ of Shastriya tag given to the language by the Union Government.
“The Government has neither given a room for establishment of a Centre of Excellence nor shown any interest for conducting researches in Odia language in three years since the Odia language was given classical tag. On the other hand, it has narrowed down use of the language by establishing model schools and providing financial support to private English medium schools through Anwesa programme,” alleged committee president Dr Rama Chandra Khuntia at a programme held to mark birth days of Mahatma Gandhi and lal Bahadur Shastri here.
Around 5,000 intellectuals and worker, student and youth leader joined the programme held jointly by the committee and the Rashtriya Mazdoor Congress.
He demanded that the State Government implement Odia in education, governance and legal sectors at the earliest.
Noted linguist Padma Shri Debi Prasanna Pattanaik said Odia has not been used at Government and private levels as Odisha has no special language policy as in other States and at the national level. He demanded that Government introduce a strong language policy soon.
Among others, former Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo, PCC president Prasad Harichandan, workers’ leader Souribandhu Kar and former MP Bibhuprasad Tarai were present.
The leaders resolved to resort to statewide agitations from November 19 if the State Government doesn’t implement the Odia as language in all sectors by then.