Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has vehemently opposed the directive of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar to use Hindi language in official work and communication.
Condemning the directive, senior BJD leader and Puri MP Pinaki Mishra said that Odisha is the first State to be formed on linguistic basis and we would not like to allow anybody sidelining our mother tongue, particularly by any institution that is working for the people of our state.
“We will insist on Odia being used since our people are familiar with it and that will make their task of availing services at AIIMS easier. We will formally lodge our protest with the Health Ministry and ask for a change in this directive,” the BJD MP tweeted.
We are the first state to be formed on linguistic basis and we would not like to allow any body sidelining our mother tongue, particularly by any institution that is working for the people of our state. pic.twitter.com/tyc0EUbEEj
— Pinaki Misra, Puri MP (@OfPinaki) February 21, 2020
In a notification, AIIMS Bhubaneswar stated, “The documents required to be issued bilingually under section 3(3) of O.L. Act 1963 and the letters required to be issued only in Hindi under the O.L. Rules 1976 should be drafted in Hindi originally by the employees proficient in Hindi compulsorily and by the employees having working knowledge of Hindi to the possible extent in the offices.”
“All employees should sign in Hindi, write name and subject on all files in Hindi, write name and sub headings of the registers in Hindi and also make entries in Hindi,” the directive said.
“30% noting and drafting should be in Hindi, 55% correspondence in Hindi, all the bilingual forms used in office should be in Hindi and replies to all letters received in Hindi. Discussion may be in Hindi in all administrative meetings and prepare the minutes in Hindi as far as possible,” the notification adds.