Number of Odia speaking people declines: Census report

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The number of people speaking regional languages including Odia continues to decline in the country except Hindi, revealed a census report.

According to census report between 1971 and 2011, the number of Odia speaking people drastically fell during the years.

As per 1971 census report, out of total population in the country, 3.62% people were speaking in Odia language. Later, the percentage dropped to 3.46% in 1981, 3.35% in 1991, 3.21% in 2001 and 3.10% in 2011.

The statistics shows that the number of Odia speakers is declining every year and the trend is likely to continue in future.

Experts say the recent trend is not a healthy sign to uphold the Odisha’s rich art and culture.

However, the number of Hindi speaking people significantly increased during the years.

Out of total population in India, 36.99% people were speaking Hindi in 1971. The percentage grew to 38.74% in 1981, 39.29% in 1991, 41.03% in 2001 and 43.63% in 2011.

Like Odia, the number of people speaking in other regional languages also dropped during the period.

According to reports, the country registered over 10 crore people speaking in Hindi language between the years 2001 and 2011. Bengali is placed second in the list of regional languages people communicated during the years. The number of people speaking Bengali rose to 1.10 crore between 2001 and 2011.

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