Odisha cabinet approves proposal to change English spellings of 64 places

Bhubaneswar, Jun 12 (PTI): The cabinet of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday approved eight proposals, including one pertaining to the change of English spellings of 64 places across 26 districts, Chief Secretary Anu Garg sai.

Written By : PTI | Updated at : 13 Jun 2026 12:23 AM (IST)

Bhubaneswar, Jun 12 (PTI): The cabinet of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday approved eight proposals, including one pertaining to the change of English spellings of 64 places across 26 districts, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said.

She said the state government has approved 301 proposals during 42 cabinet meetings convened in the last two years.

Majhi completed two years in office on Friday and convened a meeting of his cabinet, where eight proposals, including the change of English spellings of 64 places in 26 districts of the state, were passed.

Presently, several places in Odisha continue to be referred to in official English records by distorted spellings originating from the colonial period, such as 'Aul' for 'Aali' and 'Balasore' for 'Baleshwar', she said.

The chief minister observed that these distortions are inconsistent with Odia phonetics and adversely affect Odia cultural identity, she said, adding that the government has approved the proposal for the correction of these distorted spellings and the restoration of original Odia names.

"This initiative has been undertaken to preserve and promote the linguistic heritage, cultural identity, and historical authenticity of Odisha," Garg said.

The cabinet has also approved a budget of Rs 361 crore for liability clearance of closed cooperative spinning mills, power looms and sizing units, paving the way for new textile and apparel industries, she said.

In the first phase, the government will provide Rs 200 crore as a one-time settlement (OTS) to clear the outstanding liabilities of the defunct units, she added. PTI BBM BBM ACD

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