"I would request you once again to consider the proposal expeditiously to fulfill a long standing demand of people speaking these languages," Patnaik wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Stating that he had made similar request earlier in 2014 through a letter, Patnaik said a complete proposal based on the recommendation of an expert committee had been sent to the Centre.
Sambalpuri/Kosali is the mother tongue of more than 7.5 million people in Western Odisha and spoken for many centuries, Patnaik pointed out adding that it is used as a medium of teaching in non-formal schools now.