Languages panel recommendations and a fresh ‘Hindi imposition’ row

Source: The post is based on the article “Languages panel recommendations and a fresh ‘Hindi imposition’ row” published in the Indian Express on 13^th October 2022.

What is the News?

The committee of Parliament on Official Language has submitted its 11th report to the President.

About the Committee of Parliament on Official Language

It was set up in 1976 under Section 4 of The Official Languages Act of 1963.

Chaired by: Union Home Minister

Members: 30 (20 MPs from Lok Sabha and 10 MPs from Rajya Sabha)

Objective: To review the progress made in the use of Hindi for official purposes, and to make recommendations to increase the use of Hindi in official communications.

Unique features of the committee: a) Unlike the other Parliamentary panels( constituted by the Parliament), this Committee is constituted by the Home Ministry, b) The panel submits its report to the President not to Parliament like other panels.

About the previous committees of Parliament on Official Language

The first Report of the Committee was submitted in 1987. The Ninth Report was submitted in 2011. In 2011, the committee made 117 recommendations, including suggestions to increase the use of Hindi in computers in government offices.

The Committee recommends that all Ministries/Departments should immediately provide facilities of bilingual computers and should train officials…so that they can work in Hindi also.

What are the major recommendations of the committee of Parliament on Official Language?

Does the recommendation apply to every state government?

No. States like Tamil Nadu and Kerala are exempt as per The Official Languages Act, 1963 and the Rules and Regulations (of the Act), 1976. The law is implemented only in ‘A’ category states, in which the official language is Hindi.

Region ‘A’ includes the states of Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, and the Union Territories of Delhi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Region ‘B’ includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Punjab, and the Union Territories of Chandigarh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Other states, where the use of Hindi is less than 65 per cent, are listed under region ‘C’.