Hyderabad: Urdu has the status of second official language in Telangana. The state government hired as many as 60 officers in 2018 for the purpose of dissemination information on departmental activities and official communications in Urdu.
However, there is concern among Urdu language officers as their services have been overlooked following the change of government.
Despite the Congress being in power for over two months, Urdu officers have not yet been assigned to ministries. Due to this, information on most government activities is being communicated only in Telugu and English, while the issuance of press notes in Urdu has ceased.
The appointment of Urdu officers in 2018 facilitated the dissemination of government department activities to Urdu media through press notes. However, after the change in administration, Urdu officers who previously served alongside the chief minister and 17 other ministers were recalled to the Department of Minority Welfare.
Currently, 18 Urdu officers sit idle after marking their attendance at the Minority Welfare Department on a daily basis.
According to reports, senior officials are awaiting the Cabinet expansion before postings the Urdu officers to various departments. However, the posting of Urdu officers should not be contingent upon Cabinet expansion.
