Urdu declared official language in Bengal

West Bengal, Apr 3: Urdu was today declared as an official language in West Bengal in respect of certain districts where Urdu-speaking population exceeds 10 per cent.

The state Assembly passed the West Bengal official language (amendment) bill, 2012, declaring Urdu as official language in respect of certain districts where the population of urdu-speaking people exceeds 10 per cent as a whole or part of the district like sub-division or block.

Moving the bill, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who holds minority affairs department, said that the state government had earlier given official language status to Nepali language.

She said the state government had already decided to given official language status to Gurmukhi and Santhali languages.

A bill to this effect would be brought in the next session of the House, she said.

PTI