Group Urges PNB to Add Bengali to Assam Job Language List

The Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan has asked Punjab National Bank to amend or reissue its recruitment advertisement for 85 local bank officers in Assam, arguing that the omission of Bengali from the mandatory language-proficiency list could unfairly disadvantage qualified candidates.

In its representation to PNB's zonal manager in Guwahati, the organisation pointed out that the notice mandates only Assamese and Bodo, despite Bengali being spoken by nearly 29% of Assam's population, according to the 2011 Census. General secretary Paritosh Chandra Dutta said the exclusion may have been unintentional but could still bar eligible Bengali-speaking applicants.

The Sammelan invoked the *Assam Official Language Act, 1960*, which grants Bengali statutory status for administrative use up to the district level in Cachar. It stressed that in Cachar, Hailakandi and Sribhumi, Bengali speakers form nearly 90% of the population, making language proficiency critical for effective banking services.

Given PNB's extensive presence in the Barak Valley, the organisation said hiring Bengali-speaking officers would strengthen customer communication and service delivery.