Amid the ongoing three-language policy row related to the National Education Policy (NEP) in Tamil Nadu, Chennai Mayor R Priya on Thursday, March 13, said that shop owners in Chennai should ensure that their establishments have Tamil name boards. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will soon initiate a survey to identify non-compliers and offer them time to abide by the rule, she said. The rule mandating Tamil name boards was enforced through a government order from 1977.
Addressing the media on March 13, the Mayor, referring to the existing government order, said, “Tamil is our mother tongue. GCC has now issued orders to ensure that all shops in the city have Tamil name boards.” Shop owners who fail to comply with the rule will be penalised, she said.
As per the 1977 government order, name boards of establishments should carry their names in Tamil on top, with an English version below. Names in other languages can be given below the English version, the Government Order said. It mandates the font sizes to be in the ratio of 5:3:2.
On Thursday, the Tamil Nadu government also unveiled the front cover of the state’s budget document, in which the official Devanagari-based rupee symbol was replaced by the Tamil rupee symbol.
Earlier, while speaking in the Lok Sabha criticising the stance taken by the Tamil Nadu government regarding the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had used the words “uncivilised” and “undemocratic.” A war of words intensified between the Union government and the DMK-led state government following this. Parties including the main opposition in the state – All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – and actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) have also condemned the Union’s push for implementing the three-language policy.