Bhubaneswar, Jan 11: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday unveiled the logo of the inaugural ‘Biswa Odia Bhasha Sammilani’ (World Odia Language Conference) with the tagline ‘Language is the Future’.

According to official sources, the conference is scheduled to take place from February 3 to 5.

“I hope that this conference will provide a good platform for the exchange of views among intellectuals, researchers, scholars, and students,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.

Noting that Odisha was the first state in the country formed on linguistic basis, Patnaik said that the Odia language has gained the status of one of the classical languages, enriching the glory of the state and the language itself.

According to an official release from the CMO, the first World Odia Conference will discuss the past, present, and future of the Odia language, and set goals for its propagation.

Odia became the sixth Indian language, after Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Sanskrit, and Tamil, to receive the classical tag from the Centre in February 2014.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has directed the Odia language, literature, and culture department to coordinate with all parties concerned to ensure the smooth conduct of the event.

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Eminent linguists and language researchers from around the world will participate in the discussions during the conference, officials said.