GUWAHATI, Feb 19 � The Asam Sahitya Sabha would submit a �charam patra�, its final correspondence to the State Government on implementation of the Assam State Language Act to preserve and popularize Assamese language on the International Mother Language Day on February 21.
Irked over the government�s indifferent attitude towards several appeals by the Sabha to ensure the use of Assamese language in the government and non government institutions, the literary body today said that if steps are not taken to give the Assamese language its due status in the coming Legislative Assembly session, the Sabha would have to resort to a movement.
�On the occasion of the International Mother Language Day, the demand charter would be given to the Chief Minister through the deputy commissioners by every district level Sahitya Sabha unit,� said Dr Paramananda Rajbongshi, general secretary of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, addressing the media today.
Sabha�s demand charter on mother language includes a separate directorate to preserve, enrich and popularize the indigenous mother languages of the State, ensuring widespread use of Assamese in every district of the State, preference to local mother languages like Bodo, Karbi, Dimasa etc., in the respective autonomous council areas and implementation of Assamese as the State language.
It also asked the government to install Assamese software in the computers of the government offices and ensuring the use of the same by the government officials. Sabha
demanded a separate budget allocation in the coming budget session of the Legislative Assembly for implementation of the Assam State Language Act.
�In case of appointments in any government or non government institutions, it should be made compulsory for the candidates to answer at least 50 per cent of the question in the mother language. This would popularize the mother language among the new generation,� Rajbongshi said. It also sent a note of caution to the English medium schools of the State to appoint the teachers for teaching Assamese language at the earliest.
�We are not against English language but having the knowledge of one�s mother language is the right of every individual. Sabha has also arranged for teaching Assamese and other mother languages of the State like Boro, Karbi, Mising and Deuri to the civil servants and other people who work in Assam but do not know the mother language of the State. Similarly, we are also ready to teach Assamese to the children of NRI Assamese through computer,� he mentioned.
�If the State government yet again ignores our demands, we would launch a movement to save our mother language, which would start with a dharna in front of the Raj Bhawan,� he added. The literary body also appealed the people, including the government officials to use mother language in the offices and other public places on February 21, to mark the International Mother Language Day.
