Northeast Desk, 4th March: Rasik Mohan Chakma, the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Chakma Autonomous District Council in Mizoram, has urged the state government to officially recognize the Chakma language within the state.
In a letter addressed to the Mizoram Chief Minister, Rasik Mohan Chakma emphasized the significant population of Chakmas in Mizoram, constituting approximately 10% of the state’s population according to the 2011 Census.
The CEM highlighted that the Chakma community, residing in the western and south-western belts of Mizoram, has its own language and script. Efforts have been made to introduce the learning of the Chakma language in schools up to Class VIII within the jurisdiction of the Chakma Autonomous District Council. However, the language is yet to be officially recognized by the state government, as reflected in the Annual Reports of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities submitted to the President of India.
Furthermore, citing a report from the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, the CEM noted that the Chakma language does not appear in the list of languages spoken in Mizoram, despite being the second-largest language spoken by the population.
Rasik Mohan Chakma emphasized that official recognition of the Chakma language would not only promote cultural diversity but also uphold the linguistic rights of the Chakma community. Despite conveying this demand to the state authorities, no official response has been received yet.
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