Cabinet nod to recognise Manipuri as associate official language in 4 Assam districts

Decision made in the interest of protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, social, and linguistic identity and heritage of the Manipuri people living in Assam

PTI, 24 February 2024, Guwahati : The Assam Cabinet has given its nod to recognise Manipuri as an associate official language in four districts of the state. It approved the Assam Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2024 which seeks to recognise Manipuri as an associate official language in Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi and Hojai districts. 

The Bill seeks to amend the Assam Official Languages Act, 1960 by inserting a new section 5B. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the decision taken at a late-night cabinet meeting chaired by him was in the interest of protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, social, and linguistic identity and heritage of the Manipuri people living in Assam.

To protect the interests of the tribal communities, and in line with the provisions of the National Education Policy, 2020, the council of ministers also decided to introduce Mising, Rabha, Karbi, Tiwa, Deori and Dimasa languages as mediums of instruction in the foundational stage of school education. The decision will benefit students of the tribal communities by enabling them to study their languages at the school level, according to the list of the cabinet decisions posted by the chief minister on X. 

To protect the land rights of indigenous communities, people of Ahom, Koch Rajbongshi and Gorkha communities, who have been occupying land prior to 2011, will be included in the list of protected classes of persons in Balipara tribal belt. 

The cabinet also approved the guidelines for the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan (Urban) which will be implemented by Assam State Urban Livelihood Mission Society in three phases for promotion of women self-help groups (SHGs) members as urban women entrepreneurs. The council of ministers also approved the sanction of Rs 1,000 crore for Mega Mission Society-Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana out of the total allocated budget for the year 2023-24 to aid rural women entrepreneurs and boost the rural economy. This will help create self-employment opportunities and entrepreneurship among low-income youth and women across the state, thereby contributing towards the rural economy, the CM said. 

The cabinet also decided to approve the sanction of Rs 274 crore for infrastructure projects under the Assam Infrastructure Financing Authority (AIFA). The cabinet further decided to set up Assam Veterinary and Fishery University by bifurcating the Faculty of Veterinary Science and the College of Fisheries Science from the Assam Agricultural University at Jorhat. 

The council of ministers also decided to reorganise and rename the existing divisions and subdivisions of the Public Works Department (PWD) in line with the Election Commission of India's notification for delimitation of assembly constituencies in the state to facilitate effective administrative and technical management of the department's flagship projects. 

The cabinet decided to raise a loan amount of Rs 59.27 crore from the National Housing Bank (NHB) for projects sanctioned under Urban Infrastructure Development Fund. It was also decided to create the Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan Society (CMAAAS) under the Industries and Commerce department to ensure efficient implementation of 'Atmanirbhar' projects.

The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday (February 23).

The Bill seeks to amend the Assam Official Languages Act, 1960 by inserting a new section 5B, which will provide for the recognition of Manipuri language as an Associate Official Language in the four districts.

"The decision has been taken in the interest of protecting, preserving and promoting the cultural, social, and linguistic identity and heritage of the Manipuri people living in Assam," CM Sarma posted on X after the cabinet meeting.