Administrative Language Directive: Malayalam Takes Center Stage in Government Offices

The Personal and Administrative Reforms department has issued a significant directive mandating the use of Malayalam as the prominent administrative language in offices. According to the instructions, all boards, including vehicle plates, attendance books, office seals, and post seals, must prominently feature Malayalam alongside English. The circular from the Department of Administrative Reforms emphasizes that half of the boards should be in Malayalam, while the other half in English. Vehicle plates are instructed to have Malayalam on the front and English on the rear, both in the same size.

Furthermore, the directive specifies that office seals, post seals containing names and official titles, as well as all registers and official files, should be in Malayalam. File proceedings are required to be entirely in Malayalam, except in specific situations outlined in the government’s previous orders on the use of the official language and instances where minority languages like Tamil and Kannada are necessary. Even when preparing letters in English or minority languages, the note file should be in Malayalam. Advertisements in Malayalam dailies and tender forms are also expected to adhere to the directive by predominantly using Malayalam as the medium.