GUWAHATI: The Assam government has made Assamese a compulsory official language for all government notifications, orders, acts, and similar official works across the state. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday, April 15, as the implementation has coincided with the beginning of the Assamese New Year, Bohag Bihu.
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“Beginning this Bohag, Assamese will be the compulsory official language for all government notifications, orders, acts etc across Assam,” Sarma posted on X.
However, as stated in the official notice, Sarma also added that the move has excluded the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) and Barak Valley, where Bodo and Bengali will be used respectively for official purposes.
English, meanwhile, will continue to be used for communication with the central government, central offices, and other state governments. “For interpretation of provisions in rules, acts, office or court orders, the English version will remain the authoritative reference,” the notice clarified.
Sarma asserted that the decision reflects the government’s intent to strengthen the cultural and linguistic identity of Assam. Notably, as per the 2011 Census, Assamese is spoken by about 48.38% of the state’s population, followed by Bengali at 29.9%, and Bodo at 4.5%.
