Bhubaneswar, June 13 -- In a significant move aimed at preserving Odisha's linguistic heritage, cultural identity and historical authenticity, the Odisha Cabinet has approved revised English spellings for 64 places across 26 districts to restore their original Odia names.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday night.
According to official sources, several places in Odisha continue to be officially referred to in English by distorted spellings that originated during the colonial period. Examples include "Aul" instead of "Aali" and "Balasore" instead of "Baleshwar".
The Chief Minister observed that such distortions are inconsistent with Odia phonetics and undermine Odisha's cultur...