The State Government has declared Urdu as the second official language in all the 31 districts of the State.
The Legislative Assembly has passed a Bill to this effect on Thursday even as Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi has described the decision as historic and had come as joy to the lovers of Urdu.
Introducing the Bill on behalf of the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Roads and Buildings Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said the Telangana Official Language Act declared Telugu as the official language and Urdu as second language in nine districts (except Khammam) before the bifurcation of the State.
After bifurcation, Telangana was reorganised into 31 districts and there is substantial Urdu speaking population spread all over the 31 districts. The percentage of Urdu speaking population had risen to 12.69% of the total State population. The government had therefore decided to amend the existing act paving way for declaration of Urdu as the second official language across the State, he said.
BJP floor leader G. Kishan Reddy wanted the Government to take steps to protect Telugu language too on the lines of steps launched for Urdu even as Mr. Owaisi wanted the government to take steps to strengthen the Urdu Academy and other institutions set up for spreading Urdu.
Another Bill, Telangana Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments (amendment) Act, had been passed by the Assembly paving the way for the government to provide grant-in-aid to the common good fund (CGF) used for Hindu religious institutions. The amendment was necessitated as very few temples with sizeable income are left in Telangana post-bifurcation for giving contribution towards the CGF.
Preliminary calculations by the government on the deficit that was required to be met in case of implementation of PRC 2015 for the employees was estimated at ₹115 crore and the entire deficit amount could not be tapped by way of contributions from the participating temples. The government had accordingly decided to amend the relevant sections so that it could provide grant-in-aid to the CGF to supplement the contributions from the participating institutions.
The Assembly had also passed a Bill, Telangana Lokayukta (amendment) Act, modifying the principal act, Telangana Lokayukta Act, 1983, the provisions of which were adopted through its order Telangana Adaptation of Laws.
The Bill was passed to suit the needs of the State for better governance and administration and for establishment of a separate institution of Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayukta for Telangana.
