Odisha to Observe March 11 as ‘Shastriya Odia Bhasa Divas’

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Saturday decided to observe March 11 as ‘Shastriya Odia Bhasa Divas’ in order to mark the anniversary of Odia language getting a classical status.

A decision regarding this was taken here at a meeting of the Shastriya Bhasa Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of the state’s Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda.

In addition to this, the state government also urged the Centre to set up a special cell at the Odisha Sahitya Academy to expedite the plan of establishing a Central institute on Odia language.

Regarding the proposed cell, a committee of representatives would visit Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala to study the functionalities of such bodies, official sources added.

Culture and Tourism Secretary Arvinda Padhee, President of Sahitya Akademi, and 19 other advisors were present at the meeting.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also had written a letter to the Centre about establishing the Central Institute.

As per the provision, the Centre would provide Rs 100 crore in the first phase to set up the institute. Afterward, Rs five crore would be sanctioned to the project every year, said sources.