The Odisha government has issued a strict directive for the immediate implementation of revised English spellings for various state place names, aligning them with authentic Odia pronunciations. Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Arvind Kumar Padhi has written an urgent letter to all district collectors, prioritizing uniformity across all government offices.
Institutions failing to update their signboards must complete the modifications within 7 days and submit a compliance report. This follows a Gazette Notification published on June 22, 2026, which originally allotted a one-month deadline for government bodies and six months for private entities.
The Cabinet-approved changes correct long-standing discrepancies to reflect local phonetics accurately. Key updates include:
Anugola (replacing Angul)
Baleshor (replacing Baleshwar)
Kendrapada (replacing Kendrapara)
KATAKA (replacing Cuttack)
Jayapur (replacing Jeypore)
Sora (replacing Soro)
While many districts have successfully transitioned, the government noted that lingering use of old spellings undermines the cabinet's objective. Authorities urge local offices to act swiftly to ensure complete uniformity.