Bhubaneswar: Orissa may soon be spelt as Odisha with the government's decision to correct the "mistake" in the spellings of the state's name and language getting the nod of all opposition parties.

The government is also of the view that the spelling of the language be changed to from Oriya to Odia, while in Schedule I of the Constitution, the state's name is mentioned as Udisa and its language as Udia . "We have already moved the department of official language of the Centre in this connection. They have suggested that we should get a formal approval of the cabinet," said Home Secretary T K Mishra.

"They also asked us to adopt a resolution in the state assembly in this regard," he said. Supporting the government's move, leader of opposition J B Patnaik said the name of the state and its language should be spelt properly.

NCP leader Bijay Mohapatra, a known critic of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, also supported the move. As the names reflect the state's culture and history, they should be be spelt properly, he said.

Vice Chancellor of Ravenshaw University Debdas Chhotray, who had earlier headed the department of official language of the government of India, said it would be appropriate to amend Schedule I for correcting the "mistake" in the spellings. Official sources said the Home Department had initiated the drafting of a bill which would be placed before the cabinet for its approval.

"The draft could be approved in the next Cabinet meeting," said a senior officer. According to Kailash Acharya of socio-cultural body Utkal Samilanee, the name Odisha originated from the word oda meaning cultivation.

Source : PTI