The public announcements at railway stations in Santhal Pargana and East Singhbhum will now be done in Santhali along with Hindi. Referring to the letter by Chief Minister Raghubar Das to union railway minister Piyush Goyal, the Chairman of Railway Board, New Delhi, issued a direction on Saturday.
Das, on February 27, had written to Goyal requesting making announcements in Santhali and writing information boards in Ol Chiki script along with Hindi at railway stations of six districts of Santhal Pargana and East Singhhum of Kolhan division.
The six districts include Dumka, Deoghar, Pakur, Godda, Jamtara and Sahibganj. In his letter the CM wrote that Santhali was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution when Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
Das expressed his gratitude towards the railway minister for the announcement.
Considering the huge dominance of Santhal tribes in the Santhal Pargana and East Singhbhum region, Das has directed to write the name of all the government offices and schools in these areas in Ol Chiki script to make it easier for the Santhali people to understand the names and recognize the buildings.
The CM said, "This step will not just make it easier for the people having Santhali as mother tongue to easily understand the information but will also make them feel proud of their language."