MUMBAI: Maharashtra government servants will now have to greet people with "Vande Mataram" on the phone, mobile, at meetings and even on the public address system while making announcements. Those who are daily in direct contact with the public too will need to switch to the new form of greeting.
The General Administration department on Saturday issued a circular informing the implementation of the change in greeting from October 2 the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and as part of the Amrit Mahotsav.
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will launch the programme at Wardha on Sunday.
The circular will be applicable across government, semi-government, local civic bodies, aided schools, colleges and other establishments.
Terming “Hello” as a meaningless word, the circular states instead if conversations on the phone and in person conversations were to begin with Vande Mataram, then it would help create a conducive atmosphere and give positive energy.
“Replacing a meaningless greeting like Hello with Vande Mataram will also generate national pride,” states the circular. It states that use of “Vande Mataram “ as a greeting instead of “Hello“ is not mandatory but asks all heads of departments to encourage their subordinates to support the programme by shifting to “Vande Mataram “ as a greeting.
