Bhubaneswar: The state cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, on Friday approved changes to the English spellings of 64 places across 26 districts to align them with Odia pronunciation. Chief Secretary Anu Garg stated that many existing spellings, fixed during the British era, differ significantly from how names are pronounced locally. Several places continue to be recorded in official English documents with distorted colonial spellings, such as “Aul” for “Aali” and “Balasore” for “Baleshwar”. Similarly, the district headquarters town of ‘Bargarh’ will now be spelled as Baragada.
Cabinet Approval and Cultural Significance
The cabinet approved the revisions, noting that such inconsistencies deviate from Odia phonetics and impact cultural identity (Odia Asmita). The move aims to restore the authentic pronunciation and cultural heritage of the region.
Committee Recommendations
Earlier, the government had set up a high-level committee chaired by eminent Odia litterateur Pratibha Ray to examine the proposals. After placing its recommendations in the public domain for a month to invite feedback, the panel finalised and proposed revised English spellings for the 64 places.
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