Odisha Govt to set up Commission for the Preservation and Promotion of Tribal Languages

Bhubaneswar: The State Government has given its nod for the establishment of the Commission for the Preservation and Promotion of Tribal Languages of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha.

Odisha is home to 21 unique tribal languages, and the State government is committed to conserving, promoting, developing, disseminating, and safeguarding these languages through the newly formed Commission.

The primary objectives of the Commission include encouraging multilingual education, documenting and preserving tribal languages, promoting their usage, and protecting linguistic rights. These initiatives are aimed at the comprehensive development of tribal languages in Odisha.

Under the Multilingual Education (MLE) programme in the education system, all 21 officially recognized tribal languages by the State will be incorporated.

In addition, the Commission is set to pursue the inclusion of tribal languages such as Ho, Mundari, Kui, and Saora in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Despite numerous efforts of the state government, these languages have not yet been included in the 8th Schedule. The Commission will engage with the Centre to advocate for the rightful inclusion of these languages.

Today, the government passed a unanimous Cabinet resolution, reiterating the demand for the inclusion of 169 communities in the Scheduled Tribes list of Odisha.

The State Cabinet’s unanimous resolution reinforces the demand for the inclusion of Ho, Mundari, Kui, and Saora languages in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

Furthermore, the Cabinet decided to withdraw the proposal for the amendment to Regulation 2/1956 in today’s session.