Oriya gets its due in neighbouring state

BHUBANESWAR: Leader of the NCP in the Assembly Amar Prasad Satpathy has thanked the Jharkhand government for making Oriya a second official language.  The Jharkhand Assembly passed a Bill in this regard on Saturday. Satpathy said the Bill was passed in the Assembly without any opposition. This will greatly help in making Oriya stronger in Jharkhand, Satpathy said and added this is for the first time Oriya has become a second official language in another state.  He, however, said making Oriya second language is not sufficient for the people residing in outlying tracts of Sareikala and Kharsuan. He said the Linguistic Minority Committee of the Assembly, headed by Speaker Pradip Amat, should visit the areas to take stock of the condition of the Oriya people residing there.   BJP State president Jual Oram has also patted Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda for the gesture. In a statement, Oram said this has fulfilled a long-standing demand of the Oriya people.  MLAs cutting across partylines had  demanded in the Monsoon Session of the Orissa Assembly that the Jharkhand government be requested to accord second official language status to Oriya and a resolution passed in the House in this regard.