The Global Konknni Forum (GKF), as part of its “Amdharak bhett- Kodel zaivo Romi lipi zai” programme, met Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral at his office on Saturday to seek his support for the Roman Script cause.
GKF members presented two Bills to be introduced in the Legislative Assembly in favour of the Roman Script Konkani.
Kennedy Afonso, President of GKF, explained that the first Bill seeks to give Roman Script Konkani equal status with Devanagari by amending the of ficial Language Act (OLA) of 1987. This amendment would include Roman Script Konkani alongside Devanagari in the definition of Konkani. The second Bill calls for the phased introduction of Roman Script Konkani in schools, from Classes 1 to 10.
MLA Nilesh Cabral assured the GKF delegation that he would support the issue in the Assembly, not just because it is a minority issue but because of the principles outlined in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Cabral also pointed out that when Konkani was included in the Eighth Schedule in 1992, there was no mention of an official script, as it was understood that Konkani is written in five scripts. Therefore, to favour one script over the others would be against the spirit of the Constitution.Roman Script, which is widely used in Goa, deserves its rightful
place in the Official Language Act, and its introduction into schools will enable the younger generation to learn Konkani in a script of their choice. While he was unsure why only Devanagari was recognised in the OLA in 1987, he committed to raising the issue during the upcoming Assembly session in February 2025 MLA Cabral Said .
In response, GKF plans to intensify its movement by meeting with remaining MLAs before the next ses- sion. The forum aims for all MLAs to unite and discuss the legislation to grant Ro- man Script equal status by amending the OLA.
“We urge all MLAs to raise relevant LAQ ques- tions pertaining to the Ro- man Script issue and be ready to present the case, citing Articles 14 and 29(1) of the Indian Constitution,” GKF President Afonso stated.
