Kolkata, Nov 7 (PTI) The West Bengal government has directed all departments to ensure information boards relating to government schemes and projects are in Bengali, with Nepali to be used in the hill areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.
An order issued on November 6 and made available to the press on Saturday said the decision aimed at ensuring that residents could access details of government projects in languages they understand.
The government said it has noticed that several information boards at project sites, including those related to centrally sponsored schemes and Finance Commission grants, were being displayed only in English, defeating their purpose of promoting transparency, public accountability and social audits.
Under the new guidelines, all boards, hoardings, signages, plaques and public notices at government project sites must carry details such as the name and description of the project, estimated cost, source of funds, commencement and completion dates, and the implementing agency, along with its contact details.
In the hill areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, including those under the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the information must be displayed in Nepali, with Bengali added wherever applicable, the order said.
Where guidelines of a central government scheme require information to be displayed in English or Hindi, those versions may also be included, but Bengali or Nepali text must occupy the primary position on the board.
"Information boards... serve the objectives of information dissemination, transparency, public accountability and social audit only when they are in the language of the people for whom they are meant," the order stated.
The government has set November 30 as the deadline for installing boards at ongoing project sites where none exist and correcting existing ones that do not comply with the new directions.
The order also proposed linking every information board to a centralised online repository of government works and schemes through QR codes.
By scanning the codes, citizens will be able to access details such as sanctioned costs, funding sources, implementing agencies, project timelines, geographical locations and physical and financial progress.
