On Hindi Diwas, Mamata highlights state’s welfare measures for Hindi-speaking population

Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, gave a detailed account of the development works carried out by her government including the establishment of the Hindi Academy, the setting up of a Hindi University in Howrah, Hindi-medium colleges in Banarhat and Naxalbari and the introduction of Hindi postgraduate courses in several colleges. Social security schemes have been extended to Hindi-speaking workers in the unorganised sector, Banerjee added.

In a post on social media, Banerjee extended her greetings to people on Hindi Diwas and said her government respects all languages. When the controversy was going on due to alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people from Bengal in BJP-ruled states, the Chief Minister on repeated occasions reminded that the state has more than 1.5 crore workers from other states working here. It was the Mamata Banerjee government that had announced a two days government holiday on Chhath Puja.

“Today is Hindi Diwas. On this occasion, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all my Hindi-speaking brothers and sisters. Every year, we celebrate Hindi Diwas with reverence. We are respectful towards all languages,” Banerjee posted on X. In her post, Banerjee on Sunday also highlighted several initiatives taken by her government for the welfare of Hindi-speaking people in the state, including the recognition of Hindi as an official language in areas where 10 per cent of the population speaks the language.

“In this context, let me mention that since 2011, we have taken several steps for the development of Hindi-speaking people in the State. In areas where more than 10% of the population speaks Hindi, provisions have been made to use Hindi as an official language,” Banerjee wrote further. She once again reminded the people that her government has recognised Santali, Kurukh, Kudmali, Nepali, Urdu, Rajbanshi, Kamtapuri, Odia, Punjabi, and Telugu as official languages.

“We have also made efforts to promote the Sadri language,” she said. Banerjee also mentioned that Higher Secondary question papers and Secondary exams at Rabindra Mukta Vidyalaya are now available in Hindi. Meanwhile, Hindi Diwas is observed on September 14 every year to commemorate the adoption of Hindi as one of the official languages in India.