Lok Sabha Question No. 2237 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-29
Subject: Committee on languages
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: JITENDRA CHAUDHURY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2237.

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 29 TH    NOVEMBER, 2016/ AGRAHAYANA 8, 1938 (SAKA)

COMMITTEE ON LANGUAGES

2237. SHRI JITENDRA CHAUDHURY:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the designated committee meant for scrutinising the proposal for  inclusion  of  more  languages  in  Eighth  Schedule  to  the  Constitution including Kok- Borok (Tripuri) language has been reconstituted and made functional; and

(b) if so, the details and present statuts thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI  KIREN RIJIJU)

(a & b): A Committee (Pahwa Committee) was set up   in 1996, under the Chairmanship  of  Shri  Ashok  Pahwa,  Secretary  (OL),  MHA  for  evolving criteria for inclusion  of  languages  in  the  Eighth  Schedule  to  the Constitution. As a follow up measure, a Committee of Linguistic Experts (Shri  Sitakant  Mohapatra)  was  constituted  in  2003  to  evolve  a  set  of objective criteria with reference to which all proposals/representations

## L.S.US.Q.NO.2237 FOR 29.11.2016

for  inclusion  of  more  languages  in  the  Eighth  Schedule  could  be examined and finally disposed off. The Committee submitted its report in 2004. An Inter Ministerial Committee was constituted in 2012, chaired by the then Joint Secretary (HR), Ministry of Home Affairs to make in-depth study of the whole gamut of the issue. Concerned Ministries/Departments  viz  Ministry  of  Human  Resource  Development, Department  of  Personnel  &  Training,  Ministry  of  Culture,    Office  of Registrar  General  of  India  etc.  were  consulted.  There  was  widespread divergence of opinion on the criteria suggested by Sitakant Mohapatra Committee Report.

In  order  to  take  a  conclusive  decision  with  respect  to  each  of  the criteria proposed by Sitakant Mohapatra Committee (SKM), a Committee was formed in Ministry of Home Affairs, with representatives from the Department of Personnel & Training, Department of Official Languages, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of HRD, Ministry of Law and Justice, Sahitya Akademy,  Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore and the Registrar  General  of  India.  Various  meetings  had  been  held  in  this regard. However, no objective criteria could be finalized.

The  problem  is  that  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  attempts,  through  the  Pahwa  (1996)  and  Sitakant Mohapatra  (2003)  Committees  to  evolve  such  fixed  criteria  have  not borne fruit.

The  Government  is  conscious  of  the  sentiments  and  requirements  for inclusion  of  other  languages  in  the  Eighth  Schedule,  and  will  examine the requests keeping in mind these sentiments, and other considerations such  as  evolution  of  dialects  into  language,  widespread  use  of  a language etc.

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