Bhubaneswar, May 2: Mandating the use of Odisha as an official language, state assembly on Tuesday passed the Odisha Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2018, through a voice vote, which also makes penal provisions for the government officials for not using Odia language in official work.
According to the bill, it contains punishment provision for non-compliance and rewards to the officials in order to encourage maximum use of Odia language. This apart, the Assembly passed a bill making Odia language mandatory on signboards of all shops and commercial establishments.
The Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and its rule provides for all shops and establishments to meet the terms within a month or pay a fine ranging between Rs 1000 and Rs 5000 for a first violation and rising to between Rs 2000 and Rs 25000 for the second violation, sources said.
In August 2016, the state government enacted the rules of the Odisha Official Language Act, 1954, formally bringing it into force for official work in Odia language.
BJD Spokesperson Amar Satapathy said, “Those violating rules will be punished. Though the state government had enacted the rules of the Odisha Official Language Act, 1954, a bill was passed to formally bring it into force.”