Govt notifications to be translated into Bodo: CM Dr. Sarma

Guwahati: In a landmark move to promote linguistic inclusivity and cultural representation, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced that all government notifications will be translated into the Bodo language across 13 Bodo-inhabited districts of the state. The announcement was made at the official launch of ‘Bodoland Speaks: From Vision to Action’, an initiative under the ‘Bodoland Happiness Mission’ by the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Responding to a long-standing demand by the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), the Chief Minister said, “The state government will make it compulsory for all government notifications to be translated into Bodo in all 13 districts where the community resides.” The event also witnessed the conferring of the Bodoland Lifetime Achievers Award on 18 distinguished individuals for their significant contributions to the folk cultures of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). Praising the ‘Bodoland Happiness Mission’, Sarma described it as a vital step in deepening the peace and stability achieved in the region over the past five years. Recalling the turbulent past, he noted that Bodoland was once among the most disturbed regions due to the demand for self-determination and the resulting tensions among different communities. “People once lived in fear. But in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ushered in a new era of peace. The 2020 tripartite peace accord between the Centre, the state government, and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) made tangible peace a reality,” Sarma said. The Chief Minister emphasized that maintaining peace in the BTR is a shared responsibility, crediting the Bodo community and the 26 tribal groups of the region for their role in preserving harmony. He expressed optimism that peace would help transform BTR into an economic powerhouse in the coming years.