West Bengal makes Bengali mandatory in all government work

West Bengal Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has announced that the use of Bengali will be made mandatory in all official work of the state government. The decision will take effect from September 1.

The announcement was made during the West Bengal Legislative Assembly session on Monday (July 20).

The Chief Minister said the state government took the decision in response to a recent letter from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who called for increasing the use of Bengali or the official language Hindi instead of foreign languages.

Adhikari also read out Amit Shah's letter in the Assembly. The letter stated that Shyamaprasad Mukherjee's ideals should be followed for the preservation, development and administrative use of Indian languages. It also mentioned that democratic governance becomes more effective when administration is conducted in the people's own language.

The letter recommended that all departments of the West Bengal government — from the Land and Land Reforms office to the Chief Minister's Office — conduct file management, noting, government orders and official correspondence in Bengali.

Additionally, it suggested prioritising Bengali in citizen services, digital administration, application forms, certificates, government websites, mobile apps, training materials, public notices and other government communications. It also recommended increasing the use of Bengali in police services and law and order-related citizen services.

However, the Chief Minister said Hindi will also be used alongside Bengali in official communication with the central government.

Shubhendu Adhikari said Bengali will be made mandatory at all levels of the state from September 1. Various departments will complete necessary preparations to conduct their activities in Bengali by that time.

Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose said he had taken the initiative to conduct all Assembly proceedings in Bengali since taking office and that the Chief Minister had extended full support on this matter.