Odia in Administration to Make Governance More Simple, Transparent and People-Centric: Two-Day Practical Training Camp Inaugurated in Nuapada

Nuapada, Sept. 9: With an objective to make the use of the Odia language in government offices more simple, transparent, accessible and people-oriented, a two-day practical training camp was inaugurated in Nuapada district on Wednesday under the initiative of the Odia Language Institute. The training programme was organised at the conference hall of the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Nuapada. District Collector Madhusudan Dash inaugurated the programme by lighting the ceremonial lamp. Welcoming the trainers from the Odia Language Institute to Nuapada, the Collector urged officers and employees to actively participate in the two-day programme and make effective use of the knowledge gained during the training. Addressing the gathering, Collector Dash said that people can express their thoughts, feelings and opinions more naturally, clearly and effectively in their mother tongue. Therefore, the use of Odia in government functioning is not merely a matter of language, but an effective means of bringing the administration closer to the common people. He observed that when information relating to government decisions, schemes and public services reaches people in a language they can easily understand, governance becomes more effective and people-centric. The Collector also informed that proceedings and reports of various district-level review meetings are now being prepared in Odia. This, he said, has made it easier to understand decisions taken during meetings and has also facilitated their implementation, follow-up and subsequent review. Highlighting Nuapada’s rich heritage and ancient civilisation, Collector Dash spoke about the glorious history of the ancient civilisation of Maraguda. He expressed hope that the trainers would enjoy the district’s natural beauty, heritage and culture during their stay and appreciated Nuapada’s clean environment and fresh air. During the first day of the training, participants were imparted practical knowledge on several aspects of official communication in Odia. These included improving proficiency in official correspondence and communication, identifying challenges and solutions in the use of Odia in government work, preparing notes, drafts and orders in Odia from English, translation, and preparation of official documents and records in Odia. Training was also provided on promoting the use of Odia in administrative work, preparation of meeting proceedings, drafting office notes and letters in Odia, sentence formation and punctuation, practical use of vocabulary, correction of common errors in Odia writing, formulation of administrative terminology, correction of spelling mistakes, preparation of official files in Odia and use of abbreviations. Trainer Dr. Parameswar Mund said that conducting official work and communication in a language understood by the common people can make the administration more accessible and people-oriented. Officer on Special Duty of the Odia Language Institute Dr. Siddhartha Shankar Padhi, along with Dr. Santosh Kumar Rath, Dr. Biplab Ranjan Pradhan, Dr. Sanjay Kumar Panda and Dr. Parameswar Mund, participated as trainers and conducted different sessions of the programme. District-level officers, Block Development Officers, Tahasildars, Executive Officers of Notified Area Councils, Child Development Project Officers, Block Education Officers and officials and employees from various departments participated in the training camp. The programme was conducted by District Sports Officer Rajendra Badhei, while District Culture Officer Ramesh Mahara coordinated the event.