Tamil Nadu government reiterates use of Tamil in official communications

Chennai, April 16 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday issued an official advisory to senior bureaucrats and department heads, reaffirming existing rules that mandate the exclusive use of Tamil as the official language in all government offices across the state.

The advisory, issued by Tamil Development and Information Department Secretary V. Rajaraman, was sent to all Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, heads of Secretariat departments, District Collectors, and other top officials and urged them to strictly adhere to existing provisions of the Official Languages Act, which designates Tamil as the sole official language of the Tamil Nadu government.

The communication reminded officers that government orders, circulars, and all official documents must be issued in Tamil. All correspondence originating from heads of departments to other government offices should also be drafted in Tamil.

Except in cases where specific exemptions have been granted, all letters and communications must be written in Tamil, the advisory reiterated.

Letters received from the public in Tamil must be replied to in Tamil, and all accompanying notes should also be in Tamil.

Furthermore, the advisory directed that government employees must sign all official correspondence using Tamil script only.

In cases where exemptions exist that allow certain documents or government orders to be issued in English, the departments concerned must forward those documents to the Translation Division of the Tamil Development and Information Department. If departments undertake the translation themselves, the documents should still be submitted to the Translation Division for review and verification before being finalised.

The advisory comes against the backdrop of the ruling DMK’s consistent stance in support of Tamil as a primary administrative and educational language in the state. The party has been vocally opposing the National Education Policy (NEP), particularly the Centre’s push for a three-language policy. The DMK has instead insisted on continuing the two-language policy - Tamil and English - within Tamil Nadu.

As part of its broader cultural and linguistic preservation efforts, the DMK youth wing had earlier conducted public meetings across all 234 assembly constituencies to oppose the NEP. Party strategists have also initiated programmes aimed at grooming young leaders into powerful orators and effective grassroots organisers. These initiatives are seen as a move to strengthen the party’s presence at the community level while reinforcing Tamil identity and language pride among the younger generation.

--IANS

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