Odisha Govrnement comes out with lexicons of 21 rare tribal languages to preserve vanishing native languages in State

The Odisha government has come out with lexicons of 21 rare tribal languages to preserve vanishing native languages in State with largest tribal diversity. The bilingual tribal dictionaries will be used in Multilingual Education (MLE) initiated by the State government at the elementary level in tribal-dominated districts. The bilingual tribal dictionaries for MLE and trilingual tribal language proficiency modules in all the 21 tribal languages have been formulated by the Special Development Council (SDC). Odisha has a unique place on the tribal map of India for having the maximum number of Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. The State is home to 62 different tribal communities, including 13 particularly vulnerable tribal groups. These tribes speak 21 languages and 74 dialects. Of the 21 tribal languages, seven have their own scripts. However, Odia is used as the medium of communication in the dictionaries.