New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday released the Constitution of India in the Santhali language during an event at Rashtrapati Bhavan, expressing the hope that this initiative will enable tribal communities to read and comprehend the statute in their native language.
Addressing the gathering, the President said that it is a matter of pride and joy for all the Santhali people that the Constitution of India is now available in the Santhali language, written in the Ol Chiki script.
The President said that this year, we are celebrating the centenary of the Ol Chiki script. She appreciated the Union Minister of Law and Justice and his team for bringing the Constitution of India in Ol Chiki script in its centenary year.
Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan and Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The Santhali language, which was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution through the 92nd Amendment Act, 2003, is one of the most ancient living languages of India. It is spoken by a significant number of tribal people in Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar.
She said the Constitution’s Santhali version will help tribal people read and understand the Constitution in their own language.
Speaking in the regional language, the President said, “I am delighted to release the Constitution of India in the Santali language written in the Ol Chiki script. The availability of the Constitution in the Santali language is a source of immense happiness for the entire Santali community.”
“All Santali people living in Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar will now be able to fully understand the Constitution written in their mother tongue and script. They will be able to properly comprehend the articles of the Constitution,” she said.
The Vice President thanked President Murmu, under whose guidance the initiative was undertaken.
He said that this initiative will enable Santhali-speaking people to read and understand the Constitution in their own language and contribute to nation-building in a bigger way.
The Vice President also recalled that during President Murmu’s tenure as the then Governor of Jharkhand, she had initiated several tribal welfare measures and promoted tribal culture and languages, and he continued to carry forward her legacy during his own tenure as Governor of the state.
–IANS
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