The State Government has decided to conduct a survey to explore the possibility of including Saura dialect and script in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The survey will be conducted by the Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture (ATLC).
If the survey report justifies the demand for the purpose, the Government will take clearance from the Tribes Advisory Council (TAC) and recommend to the Centre.
The population of Saura community in Rayagada district is 86,725. Of them, Sauras are 53,504 and Sabar Lodhas are 33,221. The Saura script ‘Sorang Sompeng’ was developed by Guru Mangei Gamang in 1966 for spreading the language.
The School and Mass Education Department has also included the Saura language in the multi-language education programme under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). Official sources said teachers of Saura language are being posted in schools having 100 per cent students belonging to the tribe. Besides, teachers working in the areas inhabited by Saura tribe in Gajapati and Rayagada districts are being trained in the language by ATLC.