Silchar: The Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan has urged Punjab National Bank (PNB) to amend or reissue its advertisement for recruiting 85 local bank officers (LBOs) in Assam, alleging that the exclusion of Bengali from the mandatory language-proficiency criteria could deny equal opportunity to eligible candidates.In a representation submitted to PNB’s zonal manager in Guwahati through the Silchar circle head, the organisation said the advertisement listed only Assamese and Bodo as mandatory languages.Sammelan general secretary Paritosh Chandra Dutta said Bengali is spoken by nearly 29% of Assam’s population, according to the 2011 Census, while Assamese and Bodo speakers account for around 48.38% and 4.53%, respectively.The organisation said it hoped the omission was inadvertent, but warned that the language requirement could prevent otherwise qualified Bengali-speaking candidates from applying.Citing the Assam Official Language Act, 1960, the Sammelan said Bengali has statutory recognition for administrative and other official purposes up to the district level in Cachar. The organisation said the issue was particularly important in Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi, where Bengali speakers account for nearly 90% of the population.It also noted that PNB has a substantial branch network in the Barak Valley and said appointing Bengali-speaking officers would improve communication with customers and help the bank provide more effective services.
