Bhubaneswar, Feb 5: The Odisha government has proposed revising the English spellings of several districts and place names across the state to align them more closely with their original Odia pronunciation and linguistic roots.
According to a notification issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, the spellings of seven districts and 24 places spread across 11 districts will be corrected as part of the initiative. The move is intended to ensure phonetic accuracy in official records while preserving the cultural and linguistic identity of Odisha’s geographical names.
Among the prominent proposed changes, Khurda will be written as Khoradha, Balasore as Baleshwar, Keonjhar as Kendujhar, and Khondmal as Kandhamal. Likewise, Deogarh is proposed to be renamed Debagarh, Angul as Anugol, Nayagarh as Nayagada, and Rairakhol as Redhakhol. Other suggested revisions include Kendrapara to Kendrapada and Keonjhargarh to Kendujhargarh.
The state government has invited objections and suggestions from the public and relevant stakeholders. Submissions must be made in writing, supported by valid documents, within 15 days from the date of the notification’s publication.
Officials have clarified that objections received after the stipulated deadline will not be entertained. If no feedback is received within the given timeframe, the proposed spelling revisions will be implemented in accordance with legal procedures.
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