Which of the following statements with regard to the Santhali Language is/are correct? 1. It belongs to the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family, making it structurally distinct from Indo-European languages. 2. It was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution through the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003. Select the correct answer using the code given below: |ForumIAS

[A] 1 only

[B] 2 only

[C] Both 1 and 2

[D] Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C

Notes:

Detailed Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Unlike the surrounding Indo-Aryan or Dravidian languages, Santhali is classified under the Austroasiatic language family (specifically the Munda sub-branch), sharing features with languages like Ho and Mundari.
Statement 2 is correct: Santhali obtained official constitutional recognition when it was integrated into the Eighth Schedule alongside Bodo, Dogri, and Maithili by the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 2003. It utilizes its own phonetic script, Ol Chiki, created by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925.