Mumbai: The Forest Department of Maharashtra issued an order on Thursday and in this order appealed to its personnel to respond by chanting 'Vande Mataram' when they receive calls related to government work. Let us tell you that a few days before this order/government proposal, newly appointed Culture and Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had directed all government officials to say 'Vande Mataram' instead of 'Hello' upon receiving phone calls in their offices. Not only this, but the government resolution states, "An appeal has been made to all the officers and employees of the Forest Department to say Vande Mataram instead of hello while receiving the calls of common people or public representatives in connection with government business." Mungantiwar had earlier said, "We are entering the 76th year of independence. We are celebrating Amrit Mahotsav. That's why I want the officials to say 'Vande Mataram' instead of hello on the phone." However, let us also tell you that earlier Mungantiwar had said, 'The country is celebrating Amrit Mahotsav (75th anniversary of independence), so All state government officials will have to say "Vande Mataram" instead of hello after picking up phone calls in offices by January 26 next year.'' With this, he said that in the year 1800, when the telephone came into existence, we start conversations on the phone with the word, hello, but now government employees in all offices in Maharashtra will start talking to Vande Mataram. However, his decision was objected to by many Muslim organizations. In fact, the Raza Academy of Mumbai objected to this saying that we only worship Allah, so some other option should be given instead of Vande Mataram, after which they said that any word indicating patriotism instead of Vande Mataram can be used. At the same time, later the minister told a TV channel, "It is not mandatory to say Vande Mataram. Any word synonymous with Vande Mataram can be used while taking a phone call, which reflects nationalism. Saying Vande Mataram is a campaign by the state culture ministry, which started on Independence Day (15) August and will continue till 26 January.'' Delhi Assembly's special session adjourned amid uproar Sonali's only daughter along with cousin lit the funeral pyre, brother-in-law's big disclosure CM Yogi Adityanath gets big relief from SC