Punjab govt mandates use of Gurmukhi script for signboards, road milestones

In a bid to promote Punjabi language, the state government has made it mandatory for all government and semi-government institutions, boards and corporations to write all signboards in Punjabi language in Gurmukhi script.

Besides this, road milestones in the state would also be written in Gurmukhi script, an official statement said on Friday.

The decision, announced by Punjab Higher Education and Languages Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, was taken on the occasion of International Mother Language Day.

The Punjab languages department has sent a letter to all the concerned in this regard.

Bajwa said that he assured the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to implement this decision during the special session held to commemorate the 550th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

"The Punjab languages department has issued these orders as per the Punjab State Language Act-1967 under section 4. As per the orders signboards in all the government and semi-government institutions, boards, corporations and road milestones would be written at the top in the Punjabi language in Gurmukhi script and if the need arises to write in any other language it would be written below in smaller font," the statement said.

Secretary Higher Education and Languages department Rahul Bhandari has sent letters to the heads of all the state departments, Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, District Session Judges, Secretary Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Registrar of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chairmans of Boards and Corporations and all semi-government organisations.

Bajwa said that to implement this decision in the private business, industrial and educational institutes, the languages department has written to labour department to issue a separate notification in this regard, which is expected to be issued soon.