Issue Government Orders only in Tamil: TN govt tells officials

Chennai: Amid a vociferous debate on language, the Tamil Nadu government has issued a circular mandating Government Orders (GO) to be issued exclusively in Tamil and ensure maximum use of mother tongue in correspondence between departments and officials.

In a letter written to department secretaries and heads, and district collectors, Tamil Development and Information Secretary V Rajaraman issued a set of instructions to strictly implement The Tamil Nadu Official Language Act, 1956.

The circular has directed all government employees to sign all documents only in Tamil, regardless of the category, while asking them to issue guidelines, letters, office orders, and other communication within departments and other offices in Tamil, except on special occasions.

Though officials said the circular was routine reminder, the development comes a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised politicians in Tamil Nadu for not signing their letters in Tamil.

The circular further said letters received from the public in Tamil must be responded to in Tamil, and all related notes and records must also be maintained in the language.

For items exempted from being issued in Tamil, government orders issued in English by Secretariat departments must be translated into Tamil and they should be sent to the Translation Division of the Tamil Development and Information department for translation.

“Alternatively, if departments translate these orders into Tamil themselves, they must forward them to the Translation Division for thorough review, if necessary,” the letter said.

The government had a few months ago replaced English with Tamil in transfer orders of IAS officers, in a welcome change after N Muruganandam took over as the Chief Secretary in August 2024. In July last year, Chief Minister M K Stalin had nudged shops and commercial establishments in the state to ensure that Tamil, the local language, finds a prominent place in their name boards.

Names of shops on their boards in local language is a must but many establishments don’t follow it. This is not unique to Tamil Nadu but to many states in southern India.

The circular comes amid a renewed debate over language in the state following the Union Government’s insistence on implementing a three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The Tamil Nadu Official Language Act, 1956 provides for the adoption of Tamil as the language to be used for the official purposes of the state.