PTI

Bhubaneswar, Jun 10: Orissa wants its name to be changed to Odisha and the state's language from Oriya to Odia.

The state cabinet has passed a proposal to introduce a Bill in this regard during coming monsoon session of the assembly, Chief secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy said.

It will require making an amendment to the constitution, he said on Monday. According to home secretary T K Mishra, the state's name has been wrongly spelt in the constitution. Ever since the BJD-BJP government came to power in 2000, it has been demanding the change.

Mishra said though the state's name is written as Udisa in Hindi and Orissa in English, the real name is Odisha.

Similarly, the state's language is written as Udiya in Hindi and Oriya in English while it should be Odia.

“We hope that the constitution will be amended accordingly to effect the changes in this regard by end of this year,” Mishra said.

The government's move to amend constitution was praised by all many, including former Chief Minister and leader of opposition J B Patnaik. It should be done soon, he said while noted novelist Santanu acharya complimented everybody associated with the move.

“It is the question of state's pride,” said Acharya.