Hindi Language becomes controversy at AIIMS Bhubaneswar

An internal memo was circulated among the AIIMS staff to comply with the Official Language Act, 1963, as per the directive of the Centre. The Centre had asked the institute to comply with the Act within a specified time.

The directive on working in Hindi by the faculty and staff members of this Institute clearly mandated the staff that the documents required to be issued bilingually under the section 3(3) of OL Act 1963 and the letters required to be issued only in Hindi under the OL Rules 1976 should be drafted in Hindi originally by the employees proficient in Hindi compulsorily and by the employees having a working knowledge of Hindi to the possible extent in the offices.

The circular further mentioned the following:

Accordingly, the government servant is specified to do his official work in Hindi with immediate effect and it is ordered that only Hindi is to used for the following work.

I. All employees should sign in Hindi.

2. Write Name. & subject on all tiles in Hindi.

3. Write name & subheadings of the registers in Hindi & also make entries in Hindi.

4. Write at least 30% Noting & Drafting in Hindi.

5. Write at least 55% correspondence in Hindi.

6. Fill up all the bilingual forms used in the office in Hindi.

7. Replies to all the letters received in Hindi.

8. Discussion may be in Hindi in all administrative meetings & prepare the minutes in Hindi as far as possible.

"All the Officers in Administration, Academic Section, Hospital Administration, Finance & Accounts and the heads of the departments are hereby informed to do their work in Hindi and it should be ensured that the staff members working with them are doing their work in Hindi as applicable under OL Rules, 1976. At the end of every quarter starting from January' details of the work done in their section/ department may be sent to Official Language Section in the attached proforma at the end of the quarter so that a consolidated report may he prepared and sent to the Ministry by the Administration in prescribed time," the circular ordered.

Meanwhile, the aforesaid circular, strictly issued for the organizational process; saw criticism from various parties. The ruling BJD and opposition Congress accused AIIMS, Bhubaneswar of imposing Hindi on the people of Odisha and protested against the same.

In a memorandum submitted to the authorities of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, a delegation of BJD MPs and MLAs demanded usage of Odia language for the benefit of people of Odisha. "Odisha is the first state to be formed on linguistic basis and we would not like to allow anybody sidelining our mother tongue, particularly by any institution that is working for the people of our state," said the memorandum; quotes IANS

It said the arbitrary and discriminatory order should be withdrawn with immediate effect, and Odia language be used widely since the people of Odisha are familiar with. The regional party has also demanded the withdrawal of the office order, which it termed as "arbitrary" and "discriminatory", and use of Odia since people of the state are familiar with it.

On this, the director of the institute Dr B Gitanjali issued a clarification on the order after she met with the protesting delegation of BJD MPs and MLAs. The director has clarified that the order on the use of the language in official work was purely for administrative communication and not for the patients or the public.

"Let me make it clear that the directive is solely meant for administrative work in the institute. It is for the staff who have studied in Hindi medium and not for the patients or the public," Dr Gitanjali told reporters after meeting a BJP delegation led by its Parliamentary Party leader Pinaki Mishra.

"Almost all our signages are either in Odia or English. It was only an internal memo and meant for those who are proficient in Hindi and for administrative work only. The circular has been wrongly interpreted," said the AIIMS director.

Medical and nursing students of the institute are being taught Odia for better communication with the patients and their attendants, she said.

A similar controversy had erupted in the Rishikesh branch of AIIMS last year wherein the medical college administration had directed its teaching doctors to sign leave applications in Hindi.

Read Also: ALL Leave Applications Must Be Signed In Hindi Only: AIIMS Rishikesh Tells Its Teaching Doctors