Lok Sabha Question No. 2923 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-13
Subject: Inclusion of Languages
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: HARI MANJHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †2923

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 13 TH  MARCH, 2018/ PHALGUNA 22, 1939 (SAKA)

INCLUSION OF LANGUAGES

†2923. SHRI HARI MANJHI:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the prescribed norms for inclusion of languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India has not been complied with and if so, the reasons therefor;
- (b) the manner  in which the Government  differentiates  between  a vernacular and a new language before granting it the status of language;
- (c) the details of the languages included so far in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution, State-wise; and
- (d)  the  details  of  advantages  to  be  extended  to  the  language  after  its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI HANSRAJ GANGARAM AHIR)

(a): As the evolution of dialects and languages is dynamic, influenced by socio-eco-political  developments,  it  is  difficult  to  fix  any  criterion  for languages, whether to distinguish them from dialects, or for  inclusion  in the  Eighth  Schedule  to  the  Constitution  of  India.  Thus,  both  the  earlier attempts,  through  the  Pahwa  (1996)  and  Sitakant  Mohapatra  (2003) Committees to evolve such fixed criteria have not borne fruit.

(b): 'Language'  is  a  socio-cultural-geographical  construct  in  the  sense that  all  languages  begin  as  dialects /varieties/mother tongues but due to

various  socio-economic-political  reasons  one  of  the  varieties  of  any language  develops  into  or  acquires  the  status  of  a  standard  variety; 'language'  may  thus  be    defined    as    the    standard    variety,  so    that mother  tongue of those speaking related varieties may be deemed to be the  standard  variety.  There  are  no  linguistic  criteria  for  differentiating between a language and a dialect/vernacular. Socially, a dialect/vernacular may gradually evolve into a language and acquire the status of a language.

(c): There  are  22  languages  included  in  the  Eighth  Schedule  to  the Constitution. These are as under:

(1) Assamese, (2) Bengali, (3) Gujarati, (4) Hindi, (5) Kannada, (6) Kashmiri, (7)  Konkani,  (8)  Malayalam,  (9)  Manipuri,  (10)  Marathi,  (11)  Nepali,  (12) Odia, (13) Punjabi, (14) Sanskrit, (15) Sindhi, (16) Tamil, (17) Telugu, (18) Urdu (19) Bodo, (20) Santhali, (21) Maithili and (22) Dogri.

Several of these languages are spoken in several States, and their use is not restricted by State boundaries.

(d): The benefits flow from the Official Language Resolution, 1968, that 'all the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution and English shall be permitted as alternative media for the All India and higher Central  Services  examinations  after  ascertaining  the  views  of  the  Union Public  Service  Commission'.  In  addition,  related  Sahitya  Akademies  may institute awards, special promotion programmes etc. at their discretion.

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