Staff Reporter –
The half-yearly meeting of the Town Official Language Implementation Committee (PSUs-2), Kolkata was organized on August 25, 2026, at Dhanadhanyo Auditorium, Kolkata, under the coordination of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), CMO, Kolkata Office.
The meeting was chaired by Mr. Surendra Kumar Sharma, Executive Director (Finance & Accounts), SAIL, CMO, and Chairman, TOLIC (PSUs-2), Kolkata. Mr. Umesh Rai, Hon’ble Minister of State, Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development & Municipal Affairs, Government of West Bengal, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.
The event was attended by Mr. Surendra Kumar Sharma, Executive Director and Chairman, TOLIC (PSUs-2), SAIL, CMO; Mr. Rathendra Raman, Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port; Mr. Samrat Rahi, Vice Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port; Commodore Rakesh Chhilar, Chairman & Managing Director, The Braithwaite Burn and Jessop Construction Company Limited; Commodore P.R. Hari, Chairman & Managing Director, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited, Kolkata; Mr. Anant Mohan Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Andrew Yule & Company Limited; Mr. R. Veerabahu, Director (Finance), Braithwaite & Company Limited; Mr. Basant Kumar Bhuyan, Regional Executive Director, Airports Authority of India; and Mr. Sudipta Banerjee, Deputy General Manager, Engineers India Limited, along with Heads of Offices and senior officials of various Public Sector Undertakings.
Mr. Prashant Ojha, Chief General Manager (Human Resources), SAIL, and Secretary of the Committee, welcomed all the distinguished guests and participants and presented the Committee’s report.
The meeting was also attended by Dr. Vichitrasen Gupta, Deputy Director (Implementation), Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, and Mr. Jitendra Prasad, Deputy Director (East), Hindi Teaching Scheme, as special invitees. Around 120 representatives, including officials from the offices of the Department of Official Language located in the Kolkata metropolitan area, Heads of Offices of various Public Sector Undertakings and officials of Hindi cells, participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, the progress of the implementation of Official Language Hindi in various Public Sector Undertakings was reviewed. Dr. Vichitrasen Gupta reviewed the status of Official Language implementation and offered important suggestions for making its implementation more effective. Mr. Jitendra Prasad provided information regarding Hindi teaching and training, while Mr. S.K. Srivastava of the Central Translation Bureau shared information on translation-related activities.
Hindi Possesses All the Essential Qualities of a Widely Accepted Language: Umesh Rai
Addressing the gathering, Chief Guest Mr. Umesh Rai stated that Kolkata is regarded as an important centre in the development of Khari Boli Hindi. He said that it was in this city that Acharya Keshav Chandra Sen referred to Hindi as the national language, while the Fort William College played an important role in the preparation of Hindi textbooks.
He observed that for any language to gain widespread acceptance, it should possess qualities such as universality, rich literary creation, simplicity, scientific character and the ability to express a wide range of emotions and ideas. He said that Hindi possesses all these essential qualities.
Effective Implementation of Official Language Hindi Requires Collective Efforts: Surendra Kumar Sharma Addressing the meeting, Mr. Surendra Kumar Sharma said that language plays an important role in the building of any developed nation. In the modern era of information and technology, language can serve as a powerful medium to connect people with one another more effectively.
He said that Hindi strengthens the spirit of patriotism and also serves as an important language of mutual communication. He further stated that despite Kolkata being located in the ‘G’ Region, TOLIC (PSUs-2) has been making continuous efforts to promote Hindi as an increasingly effective language for official work.
He emphasized that the effective use, promotion and propagation of Official Language Hindi cannot be achieved through the efforts of any one individual or department alone. It requires the collective and sustained efforts of all offices, officers and employees.
The programme was conducted by Mr. Ajay Shankar Mishra, Rajbhasha Officer and Co-Member Secretary, SAIL, CMO Headquarters, Kolkata. The vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Vijay Mohan Bareja, General Manager (Official Language), Oil India Limited, Kolkata.
The meeting witnessed meaningful discussions on the effective implementation of Official Language Hindi, Hindi training, translation activities and promoting the maximum possible use of Hindi in official work. The meeting provided an important platform for strengthening coordination, experience-sharing and collective efforts among various Public Sector Undertakings in the field of Official Language implementation.
