Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral has assured the Global Konknni Forum (GKF) that he will support the Roman Script cause in the upcoming Assembly session in February 2025. Cabral met with GKF members at his office, where they presented two Bills aimed at giving Roman Script Konkani equal status with Devanagari ¹.
The first Bill seeks to amend the Official Language Act (OLA) of 1987 to include Roman Script Konkani alongside Devanagari in the definition of Konkani. The second Bill proposes the phased introduction of Roman Script Konkani in schools, from Classes 1 to 10.
Cabral emphasized that supporting the Roman Script cause is not just about addressing a minority issue, but also about upholding the principles outlined in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. He noted 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.
GKF President Kennedy Afonso urged all MLAs to raise relevant questions and be prepared to present their case, citing Articles 14 and 29(1) of the Indian Constitution. The forum plans to intensify its movement by meeting with remaining MLAs before the next session, aiming for a united discussion on granting Roman 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.
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