English language has been included as an optional language, besides Manipuri in the State Bank of India (SBI) recruitment process in the state.
Announcing the development, outer Manipur MP Lorho S Pfoze expressed his gratitude to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman MoS for Finance Bhagwat Kharad and SBI chairperson Dinesh Kumar Khara for considering the matter and making the change possible.
The Manipur MP stated in a social media post that Union Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kharad stated in a letter addressed to the former that the matter for inclusion of both English and Manipuri languages as option in recruitments done by State Bank of India was been taken up with the bank and the SBI bank has informed that from the recruitment year 2022-2023, options for both English and Manipuri will be available for recruitment of junior associates.
"Our state is inhabited by various groups with diverse cultural and linguistic practices and it is important to have an inclusive development. I am thankful to the Hon’ble Minister for looking into the matter judiciously and Shri Dr Bhagwat Kharad, Hon’ble MoS for Finance for the keen follow up. I am especially grateful to Shri Dinesh Kumar Khara, Chairperson, State Bank of India for considering the matter in great earnest and making this change possible. I am hopeful other recruitments in banking sectors or recruitments from other departments will follow suit wherever necessary to give a wholesome development to the country. Sending my best wishes to all the aspirants! Never stop believing in yourself," the MP said in a Facebook post.
In May, the Outer Manipur MP wrote a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman requesting to “give the language option both in English and Manipuri and or any other recognised scheduled language” in regard to SBI recruitment in the state of Manipur while considering the discrepancies felt among the tribal people of the state.
"My state of Manipur is inhabited by various ethnic groups with diverse cultural and linguistic practices and the state has gone through turbulence times in the past over these issues. The education system in Manipur is liberal with options to learning through mother tongue (local dialects) and learning Manipuri (Meiteilon) is not mandatory; thereby making Manipuri a mandatory language for recruitment is not justifiable," the MP wrote in his letter to the Finance minister.
The All Tribal Students Union Manipur (ATSUM) had also written to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), raising a complaint against the non-inclusion of Schedule Tribes (ST) languages of Manipur in the ‘test of specified opted local language’ in the recruitment of junior associates (Customer Support and Sales) of SBI.
"The inclusion of only Meitei/Manipuri languages in the said test in case of Manipur tantamount to imposition of dominant general category Meitei/ Manipuri language on the tribal people and thereby, systematically discriminating substantial numbers of potential candidates belonging to ST communities,” ATSUM stated in a letter addressed to the chairman NCST Harsh Chouhan.
