Guwahati: In a significant move aimed at making legislative proceedings more inclusive, the Assam Legislative Assembly has decided to introduce Hindi as an official language for conducting House business from the Budget Session beginning July 6.
With this decision, Hindi will join Assamese, English and Bodo as the four languages that can be used during Assembly proceedings. The move marks the first time Hindi has been accorded official status for use inside the Assam Legislative Assembly.
Announcing the decision, Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass said the proposal was approved at a meeting of the General Purpose Committee held on Saturday. The meeting was attended by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika, Minister Keshab Mahanta, Opposition Leader Wazed Ali Choudhury and members from both the treasury and opposition benches, reflecting broad consensus on the issue.
Dass said the introduction of Hindi is intended to provide greater linguistic accessibility to members who are more comfortable expressing themselves in the language. He also described Hindi as the country’s “Rashtra Bhasha” while explaining the rationale behind the decision.
The Budget Session of the 16th Assam Legislative Assembly will commence on July 6 and continue until July 31, spanning 21 working days. The state Budget is scheduled to be presented on July 10.
Alongside the language announcement, the Speaker also unveiled another change aimed at strengthening public outreach. The Assembly’s television channel, previously known as ALA TV, will be renamed Assam Bidhan Sabha TV. According to Dass, efforts will be made to develop the channel on the lines of Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV to enhance public access to legislative proceedings.
The decision adds Hindi to the existing official languages of the House while retaining Assamese, English and Bodo, underscoring the Assembly’s effort to accommodate the state’s linguistic diversity without altering the status of the languages already in use.