BHUBANESWAR: IN a special mention in Rajya Sabha, BJD MP Sasmit Patra demanded that the Centre should take necessary steps for inclusion of Ho, Mundari and Bhumij languages in the Eigth Schedule of Constitution at the earliest.
Stating that language is extremely important for ethnic identity, Patra said with a Scheduled Tribe population of over 22.85 per cent, Odisha is home to 62 tribal communities, including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG). Inclusion of Ho, Mundari and Bhumij languages will go a long way in fulfilling the long-standing demands and aspirations of the tribal communities speaking these three languages in Odisha, he said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written in this regard to Union Home Minister Amit Shah last year and requested for inclusion of the three languages in the 8th Schedule, he said and added that Ho language is spoken by nearly 10 lakh tribal people living in Odisha and Jharkhand. After Santhali, which has already been included, Ho is the second most widely spoken tribal language in Odisha.
Mundari is spoken by more than six lakh people belonging to the Munda and Mundari tribes of Odisha, he said and added that Bhumij is spoken by about three lakh people.
BJD MP from Puri Pinaki Mishra has demanded that States like Odisha which are facing natural calamities on a regular basis should be accorded special focus status. Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Mishra mentioned about the devastation caused by cyclones earlier and now for Fani, especially in Puri district.