West Bengal to make Bengali mandatory for all government work from Sept 1

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced that the state government will make Bengali, the state's mother tongue, mandatory for all state government work from September 1. Hindi will also be used for official correspondence with the Central government.

The government will make the use of Bengali mandatory across all public communication channels, including citizen services, digital governance systems, application forms, certificates, portals, websites, mobile applications, training materials, public signage, press releases and other official communication, from September 1.

In public services related to police and law and order—such as First Information Reports (FIRs), grievance registration, citizen data and safety, and public awareness messages—the extensive use of Bengali will also be ensured.


Adhikari said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had written to him, suggesting the wider use of Bengali in administration.

"This ongoing year marks the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, a great educationist, statesman and profound thinker of India," the Chief Minister read from Shah's letter.

"Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was a staunch advocate for the preservation, development and widespread application of Indian languages. It was his firm conviction that Indian languages must find their rightful place in administration, education and public life because a democratic governance system can only be effective and people-centric when it operates in the native language of its people," Adhikari read out in the Assembly.

Adhikari said Shah had encouraged "the effective and widespread use of the Bengali language across every level of administration in West Bengal. In particular, it is imperative to ensure that at every level of administration—from the Land and Land Reforms Office to the Chief Minister's Office—file processing, note-taking, official correspondence and government orders are conducted in the Bengali language."

The Chief Minister said that for official correspondence with the Government of India, Bengali and Hindi, the official language, can be used instead of a foreign language.

"File processing, official correspondence, government orders and other administrative work are performed with complete proficiency and ease in Hindi," the letter added. "This experience further reinforces the potential for good governance through Indian languages."

Adhikari said the Department of Official Language in the Ministry of Home Affairs has a well-established Indian Languages Section (Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag), and that its multilingual translation software, Anuvaad Sarathi, could be useful for state governments. The department actively provides expert assistance, standardised terminology, digital language solutions, capacity building, and the necessary technical and institutional support for the effective use of Bengali.

"On this special occasion of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee's 125th birth anniversary, I believe your government will take effective steps towards the development of Indian languages and their widespread use in administration. This will not only strengthen good governance but also make a significant contribution towards reinforcing India's linguistic and cultural heritage," the letter said.

"From September 1, 2026, we will make the Bengali language mandatory across all levels of administration in West Bengal. During this period, our government will arrange translators and all other necessary requirements," Adhikari announced.

"In all government departments in the state, from September 1, 2026, we have decided to implement Bengali—our mother tongue—accepting the advice given by the Union Home Minister on behalf of the Government of West Bengal," he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari also said on Monday that the report of the Justice Susanta Chatterjee Commission will be tabled in the West Bengal Assembly.

He said the report, though prepared during the previous Trinamool Congress government, was never made public.

"Those who will observe July 21 tomorrow were in government for 15 years. I will place the report before the people and show how much of it was implemented and how much was not," he said.

The commission, headed by retired Justice Susanta Chatterjee, was set up after the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011.

"I will release that report before the public this afternoon," Adhikari said.

He reiterated that although the report was prepared during the Trinamool Congress government's tenure, it had never been released.

"Those who will observe July 21 tomorrow were in government for 15 years. I will place the report before the people of Bengal and present documented evidence of how much of its recommendations were implemented and how much were not," he said