Bhubaneswar, December 17: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that the Odisha government is contemplating providing education in the Santali language from kindergarten to post-graduation.
Inaugurating the 7th annual conference of the All India Santali Writers’ Association’s Odisha branch at Ashok Batika in Keonjhar, the Chief Minister emphasized the significance of the Ol-Chiki script, created in 1925, and paid homage to its creator, Pandit Raghunath Murmu. Majhi called for the success of “Mission Ol-Chiki 2025,” underscoring the importance of promoting education in the Santali language and Ol-Chiki script.
Majhi urged Santali writers to actively disseminate the language, culture, and traditions of the community through their writings. He encouraged translating prominent literary works into Santali and educational books from Santali into other languages to widen the reach of the language.
The Chief Minister expressed optimism about the pivotal role of the tribal community in achieving the vision of a “Developed Odisha 2036.” He reiterated his confidence that the tribal population would make substantial contributions to the progress of Odisha and India.
Notably, the Santali language was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India in 2003, owing to the efforts of the then Central Government and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The Chief Minister also honored prominent contributors such as Bhagwat Hembram, Gobinda Hansada, Mohan Soren, Madhusudan Murmu, and Jyotilal Hembram for their role in promoting Santali writers.
YouTuber Laba Hansada and Ramjit Tudu were felicitated for their efforts in popularizing the Santali script-type board, which was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Mann Ki Baat address.
The event saw the presence of several distinguished personalities, including- several MLAs of the districts
