Odisha Cabinet Approves Renaming of 64 Places to Restore Original Odia Identity

The Odisha Cabinet on Friday approved eight proposals, including a significant initiative to standardise the English spellings of 64 places across 26 districts , in a move aimed at preserving the state's linguistic and cultural heritage.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi , who completed two years in office on Friday. According to Chief Secretary Anu Garg , the government has approved 301 proposals across 42 cabinet meetings held during the past two years.

The place-name standardisation exercise seeks to correct English spellings that originated during the colonial era and no longer accurately reflect Odia pronunciation. Examples cited by the government include replacing "Aul" with "Aali" and "Balasore" with "Baleshwar."

Officials said several place names in official records have long carried anglicised spellings that distort their original Odia forms. The state government believes such changes are necessary to align official nomenclature with local language traditions and historical identity.

"The initiative has been undertaken to preserve and promote the linguistic heritage, cultural identity and historical authenticity of Odisha," Garg said.

In another key decision, the cabinet approved ₹361 crore for clearing liabilities of closed cooperative spinning mills, power looms and sizing units. The measure is expected to facilitate the revival of industrial activity and attract fresh investment in the textile and apparel sector.

As part of the plan, the government will release ₹200 crore in the first phase under a one-time settlement scheme to clear outstanding dues of defunct units.

The cabinet's decisions underscore the government's focus on both cultural preservation through language-based reforms and economic revival through industrial support measures.