Guwahati: In a significant move aimed at linguistic inclusivity, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced that all government notifications would henceforth be translated into the Bodo language across the 13 districts predominantly inhabited by the community.
The declaration came during an official function where Sarma inaugurated ‘Bodoland Speaks: From Vision to Action’ – a flagship initiative of the Bodoland Territorial Council under the ‘Bodoland Happiness Mission’.
Responding to a long-standing demand from the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), Chief Minister Sarma affirmed the state government’s commitment to ensuring Bodo language accessibility in official communications. The decision is set to benefit a significant portion of the population in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) and surrounding areas.
During the same event, the Chief Minister bestowed the prestigious Bodoland Lifetime Achievers Award upon 18 distinguished personalities, acknowledging their profound contributions to the vibrant folk cultures of the BTR. Sarma lauded the ‘Bodoland Happiness Mission’, describing it as an exemplary endeavour to bolster the hard-won peace and stability that has taken root in the region over the past five years.
Reflecting on the historical context, Sarma recalled a time when the demand for Bodo self-determination and the accompanying anxieties among other communities rendered Bodoland one of the most tumultuous areas in the state. He highlighted how a pervasive sense of fear had once driven people towards agitation. However, the Chief Minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with ushering in an era of peace and tranquility since 2014, fundamentally altering the dynamics of the region. This transformation, he noted, was further solidified by the tripartite peace accord signed in 2020 between the state government, the Centre, and the NDFB, making tangible peace a lived reality.
Emphasising shared responsibility, Sarma underscored the crucial role played by the Bodo community, alongside the 26 other tribal communities residing in the BTR, in upholding peace and harmony. He articulated a vision where this enduring peace holds the immense potential to metamorphose the BTR into a thriving economic powerhouse.