West Bengal will make Bengali mandatory for all official communications from September 1, 2026

Key Details Announced

Who announced: CM Suvendu Adhikari in the State Assembly on July 20, 2026 . 

Effective Date: September 1, 2026

What will change

All state govt work: File processing, file notings, office orders, circulars, notifications will be in Bengali

Citizen services: Application forms, certificates, public service documents must be available in Bengali

Digital: Govt websites, mobile apps, portals, training materials, public signage, media ads

Police work: FIRs and police station records will gradually shift to Bengali

Correspondence:

With Centre + other states: Will be in Bengali

With Union govt specifically: Bengali + Hindi. Currently it’s mostly in English. 

Why now

CM Adhikari said Union Home Minister Amit Shah wrote a letter during his 3-day visit to WB, urging extensive use of Bengali at every level.

Shah cited Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s belief that Indian languages should have a proper place in administration. 64d9

The govt will use the next 1.5 months to translate formats/manuals and arrange translators . 

Other related move

WB Cabinet also approved making Bengali compulsory as 2nd language in all private English medium schools . 

Current CM note

As per reports, the CM announcing this is Suvendu Adhikari. This follows the 2026 state elections. 64d9