• Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura 

Agartala, March 23, 2022 : A separate ‘Language Development Committee’ has been formed by the Tripura government under Department of Kokborok & other minority language rights, said Kokborok and OML minister Ratanlal Nath on Wednesday.

Raising a query on the fourth day of the state assembly on Wednesday, IPFT MLA Dhananjoy Tripura asked whether the state government have any plans to set up a separate development committee for the development of ‘Kaubru’ language of Reang community, ‘Tripuri’ language of Tripura community and ‘Chakma’ language of Chakma community?

In reply, Nath said that the government of Tripura has no plans to form a separate development committee for the development of the language of the Reang, Tripura and Chakma tribes. However, there is currently a separate language development committee under Kokborok and other minority language rights to develop the Chakma language of the Chakma people.

Supporting the query raised by MLA Dhananjoy Tripura, IPFT MLA Pramod Reang and BJP MLA Sambhulal Chakma urged for the necessity of a Language Recognition Committee. IPFT MLA claimed that the Reang tribe is further divided into 9 sub-clans while Kokborok and Reang language has 50-50 similarity of pronunciation and words.

Replying to their queries, Kokborok and OML minister said that the committee has been formed way back in 2018 under the chairmanship of MLA Dr Atul Debbarma including 29 members and the committee is holding meetings from time to time for the development of indigenous languages.

For recognition of the ‘Kaubru’ language of the Reang community, Nath said another committee had been formed with 9 members led by its chairman MLA Dr Atul Debbarma on March 14 last.