BSS moves PM against excluding Bodo in notes

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 16: One cannot miss it! If a language is one of the 22 languages of India that have been included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, the language will find a place in any currency notes that are legal tender in the tion. However, five Eighth Scheduled languages of the country, including Bodo, have found no berth in the newly minted notes of 2,000-rupee denomition. The Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) has every reason to think this as negligence to them and their language.

In a missive sent to Prime Minister rendra Modi, Union Home Minister Rajth Singh and Union Fince Minister Arun Jaitley recently, BSS president Dr. Kameswar Brahma and general secretary Kamala Kanta Mushahary expressed their satisfaction for, what they said, the bold step taken by the government to demonetize 500 and 1000-rupee notes to combat the circulation of black money, corruption and terror funding. They also appreciated the process of introducing new currency notes of 500 and 2000-rupee denomitions. “But, at the same time, we regret that though Bodo is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India, it has been ignored by not inducting it in the newly minted notes. So far our knowledge is concerned, including English, there are only 17 languages mentioned in the newly introduced money and five other Scheduled languages of the Constitution of India, including Bodo, are absent… we feel this act as an extreme negligence to these languages,” the missive said, and demanded of the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Union Fince Minister to include Bodo in any notes to be minted in future.