GUWAHATI, April 15 – Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced that Assamese will be the compulsory official language for all state government notifications, orders, and legislative documents, with immediate effect.
The order, signed by the Governor of Assam, coincides with Bohag Bihu, the Assamese New Year, and marks a significant step toward promoting the use of regional languages in official communication. “In the districts of Barak Valley and the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Bengali and Bodo languages shall be used respectively,” Sarma said in a post on social media platform X.
According to the official notification, all government documents — including acts, rules, regulations, scheme guidelines, and transfer or posting orders — will now be issued in both English and Assamese. In Barak Valley and BTR, corresponding translations in Bengali and Bodo will be provided.
The state government also outlined a plan to translate legacy documents, such as older acts, rules, and notifications, into Assamese, Bodo, and Bengali over a two-year period. The translation work will be carried out with the assistance of language departments at state universities.
However, the use of English will continue for intergovernmental communication, including correspondence with the central government and other states. Legal documents submitted to courts and all judicial correspondence will also remain in English. “In the event of any ambiguity or discrepancy, the English version of such laws and notifications shall prevail,” the notification said. To facilitate the transition, government officials have been instructed to use the Anuvaad Bhashini translation app for converting content from English to Assamese, Bengali, and Bodo. The move is part of the state’s broader efforts to promote indigenous languages while maintaining practical exceptions for legal and intergovernmental communication.
