Hindi Diwas Celebrations: Mamata Banerjee’s Message and Language Initiatives in West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended her greetings on Hindi Diwas, addressing the people of the state and the entire nation. She conveyed her respect for all languages, specifically sending her best wishes to the Hindi-speaking community. Banerjee also took the opportunity to highlight the actions taken by her government to promote Hindi and other languages. She stated that Hindi has been designated as an official language in areas where over 10% of the population speaks the language. Languages like Santhali, Kurukh, Kurmali, Nepali, Urdu, Rajbanshi, Kamtapuri, Odia, Punjabi, and Telugu have also been recognized. The state government is actively working to support the Sadri language. In the realm of education, the government has implemented various measures to strengthen Hindi education. A Hindi university has been established in Howrah, and Hindi-medium degree colleges have been opened in Banarhat and Naxalbari. Several colleges now offer postgraduate courses in Hindi, and higher secondary exam question papers are available in Hindi. Students of Rabindra Mukta Vidyalaya also have the option to take their examinations in Hindi. Additionally, the state government has introduced free social security schemes for Hindi speakers employed in the informal sector, enhanced infrastructure for the Gangasagar Mela, and declared a two-day holiday for Chhath Puja.