New Delhi: After almost three years, the Rajya Sabha is likely to have a full-time Odia interpreter.
Sources said the Rajya Sabha Secretariat is likely to appoint a full-time interpreter within two weeks.
The Upper House doesn’t have a regular Odia interpreter since 2017, making it difficult for the MPs of other states and people sitting in visitors’ gallery and press gallery to understand the Odia speeches by the MPs from the state. The Odia interpreter of Lok Sabha sometimes does the job in the Upper House.
On several occasions, the BJD MPs have spoken in Odia. BJD MP Sasmit Patra had spoken on the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Odia in the Rajya Sabha but as there was no interpreter available in the House it became impossible for the people to understand his stand on the issue.
Odia has been accorded classical language tag and Odisha was the first state to be formed as a separate province on the basis of language during British era in 1936.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu has always encouraged the MPs in the House to speak in their mother tongue but due to non-availability of interpreter it becomes impossible to convey the message across the House.
Patra said, “Odia has been accorded classical language tag with the initiative of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Under his leadership and inspired by him the BJD MPs have increased their submissions in Rajya Sabha in Odia language so much so that Sarojini Hembram became the first person in Rajya Sabha to speak in Santhali language. BJD has always given prominence to Odia language.”
Patra also said that it’s an imperative to have a full-time Odia interpreter in the Upper House.