Assamese language made mandatory for all official work in Assam

GUWAHATI: The Assamese language has been made mandatory for all official work in Assam, according to a notification issued in this regard on Monday. It will come into effect from Tuesday, the first day of the Assamese New Year.

“Beginning this Bohag (first month of Assamese calendar), Assamese will be the compulsory official language for all government notifications, order, Acts, etc across Assam. In the districts of Barak Valley and BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region), Bengali and Bodo languages will be used respectively,” chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.

The notification in this regard was issued by the political department of the state on the direction of Governor Laxmi Prasad Acharya. The Assam cabinet had decided earlier this month that all government notifications, orders will be in both Assamese and English. While the same was in practice earlier, it was not mandatory.

“The Assamese language shall be used compulsorily in all official works. Issuance of all government notifications, office memoranda, Acts, rules, regulations, scheme guidelines, transfer and posting orders shall be both in English and Assamese,” the notification said.

It mentioned that in the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley, which consists of three districts, Bengali shall be used in addition to English and in BTR, which comprises four districts, Bodo language will be used with English for all official purposes.

All notifications, orders, Acts, rules and regulations and guidelines issued by the central government shall be published by translating into Assamese language (Bodo and Bengali, wherever applicable) within 30 days of receipt by the department concerned.

Legacy documents comprising Acts, rules and regulations and notifications will be translated to Assamese and Bodo and Bengali (wherever applicable) over the next two years, the notification mentioned.

“In the event of any ambiguity, discrepancy, requirement of legal interpretation, the English version of such laws, notifications, rules, regulations, ordinance shall prevail,” it said while adding that English will continue to be used for communications with Government of India, central government offices and other state governments establishments.

All correspondence, reports, affidavits, instructions to be submitted to courts shall be done in English, which will also be the language for interpretation of provisions contained in any rules, Acts, regulations, office order, court orders or judgements, the notification stated.