Context

• The 11th volume of the Report of the Official Language Committee headed by Union Home Minister was submitted to President recently.
• It has triggered angry reactions from the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, who have described the report as an attempt by the Union government to impose Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states.

Committee of Parliament on Official Language

• It was set up in 1976 under The Official Languages Act, 1963, on a resolution to that effect being moved in either House of Parliament with the previous sanction of the President and passed by both Houses.
• The Committee is chaired by the Union Home Minister and has 30 members - 20 MPs from Lok Sabha and 10 MPs from Rajya Sabha.
• It reviews the progress made in the use of Hindi for official purposes, and make recommendations to increase the use of Hindi in official communications.
• The Committee submits its report to the President, who shall cause the report to be laid before each House of Parliament, and sent to all the State Governments.
• The first Report of the Committee was submitted in 1987.

Recommendations of the 11th volume of Report

• Hindi as the medium of instruction in all technical and non-technical institutions: For example, in IITs, IIMs and central universities by replacing current English language, while the regional language should be used in states where official language is not Hindi.
• The removal of English: As one of the languages in examinations held for recruitment to the Central services and ensuring requisite knowledge of Hindi among candidates.
• The language of communication in the administration: In northern states it should be Hindi and bureaucrats will be evaluated on their use of the language in the annual appraisals.
  • The letters, emails, events organised by the government and its departments, will have to be in Hindi.
• Judiciary: High Courts where proceedings are recorded in English or a regional language can make available translations in Hindi, since verdicts of High Court of other states are often cited in judgments.
• Other recommendations:
  • To give elementary knowledge of Hindi to students up to 9th class and to pay more attention to Hindi teaching examination.
  • Republish the Hindi dictionary by revising it.
  • An Implementation Committee should be constituted to review the progress of recommendations of the 1st to 11th volume of the Official Language Committee report.

The States’ concerns: The report is divisive in character and puts non-Hindi speaking people in a disadvantageous position.

The Committee’s reply to the States’ concerns

• The committee has clarified that its recommendations would exclude those states broadly outside the Hindi belt.
• Also, states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala are exempted as per The Official Languages Act, 1963 and the law is implemented only in ‘A’ category states, in which the official language is Hindi, e.g., Bihar, Haryana, HP, MP, UP, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, etc.

Debate over official language in India

• Constituent Assembly: The origin of the linguistic row goes back to the debate on official languages in the Constituent Assembly where Hindi was voted as the official language.
  • The Constitution makers then decided that for a period of 15 years (1950 to 1965), English will continue to be used for all official purposes of the Union along with Hindi.
  • But due to intense anti-Hindi agitations in the south, the President of India appointed first Official Language Commission in 1955 under the chairmanship of G. Kher.
  • The Centre later announced that English would continue to be used even after 1965.
• Indian Constitution:
  • Part XVII of the Indian constitution makes elaborate provisions dealing with the official language in Articles 343 to 351.
  • Article 351: It imposes a duty upon the Centre to promote the spread of the Hindi so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India.
• A private member’s bill to provide for 22 official languages: It was introduced in the Parliament in 2019 to give all 22 languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution the stature of national official languages by amending Article 343 of the Constitution.
  • As per Article 343 of the Constitution, the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.
• 9th Official Language Committee Report: Submitted in 2011, it suggested increasing the use of Hindi in computers in government offices.

Arguments favouring Hindi as official language

• Hindi as link language: The people of India who speak different languages should communicate with each other in an Indian language rather than the language which colonialism imposed (English).
• Promote freedom ideals: Swabhasha (native language), Swadeshi (indigenous) and Swaraj (self-government) were the three foundations of Indian freedom movement. These 3 principles can be fully realised only by common native language.

Arguments against Hindi as official language

• Limited speakers: The number of Hindi speakers in India is only around 44%, which includes speakers of mixed-Hindi languages such as Awadhi, Maithali, Bhojpuri, etc. Thus, imposing Hindi may be detrimental to national unity.
• English is a global language: English is now accepted as the language of discourse across continents, and its colonial past is a matter of distant history.
• Against federalism: The Indian Constitution leaves it to the States to choose its language for official purposes. Thus, imposing singular language may be detrimental for longer term political harmony implied in cooperative federalism.
• Affect learning abilities: Imposition of Hindi language e.g., by removing English as one of the compulsory papers in recruitment exams can affect the learning abilities of non-Hindi speakers thereby affecting their self-confidence and future job opportunities.
• Threatens plural identity: The committee suggestions imply to subsume linguistic diversity into linguistic uniformity.
• Affect national integrity: The continued efforts to promoting Hindi in the name of 'one nation' will destroy the feeling of brotherhood of people of different languages and cultures and may be detrimental to the integrity of India.
• English only a link language: Every language has its own specialty and uniqueness. Thus, English has been made as the link language to prevent the imposition of Hindi language.
• Lack proper curriculum: Promoting Hindi in technical courses is difficult owing to implications and practicality in terms of the availability of standard books and course material, and of teachers qualified to communicate it adequately.

Conclusion

• Hindi should be accepted with consent of all States, as an alternative to English (and not to regional languages).
• All the regional languages recognized in the Eighth Schedule should be encouraged, developed and used as the official language of the Union. This will promote national integrity.