Lok Sabha Question No. 595 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-02-06
Subject: Bhojpuri Language
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: RAJIV PRATAP RUDY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 595

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 06 TH  FEBRUARY, 2018/ MEGHA 17, 1939 (SAKA) BHOJPURI LANGUAGE

595.  SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  Bhojpuri  is  becoming  the  fastest  growing  Indian language;
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  including  the  number  of  Bhojpuri  speakers  in  the country;
- (c)  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  promote  Bhojpuri  and  protect  the Bhojpuri language in the country;
- (d) whether the Government is considering the demand to include Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and to give it classical status; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the time by which the said language is likely to be included in the Eighth Schedule?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI HANSRAJ GANGARAM AHIR) (a) & (b): Bhojpuri is one of the mother tongues under Hindi language. Number of speakers of Bhojpuri over the years are given below:-

|   Census Year |   No. of speakers |
|---------------|-------------------|
|          1961 |           7964755 |
|          1971 |          14340690 |
|          1981 |          15888906 |
|          1991 |          23102050 |
|          2001 |          33099497 |

(c):  Bhojpuri  is  considered  a  major  variety  of  Hindi.  There  is  no  specific  effort  to protect  the  Bhojpuri  language  however,  when  works  are  undertaken  for  Hindi  in academic  tasks, Bhojpuri is given due recognition. Further, Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, an Autonomous Body under Ministry of Human Resource Development is developing  trilingual  dictionary  of  48  varieties  (dialects)  of  Hindi.  They  have published Bhojpuri-Hindi-English dictionary.

## LS.US.Q.No.595 FOR 06.02.2018

(d) & (e): At  present  there  are  demands  for  inclusion  of  38  more  languages including Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. These are:

(1) Angika, (2) Banjara, (3) Bazika, (4) Bhojpuri, (5) Bhoti, (6) Bhotia, (7) Bundelkhandi,  (8)  Chhattisgarhi,  (9)  Dhatki,  (10)  English,  (11)  Garhwali  (Pahari), (12) Gondi, (13) Gujjar/Gujjari (14) Ho, (15) Kachachhi, (16)  Kamtapuri, (17) Karbi, (18)  Khasi,    (19)  Kodava  (Coorg),    (20)  Kok  Barak,  (21)  Kumaoni  (Pahari),    (22) Kurukh,  (23)  Kurmali,  (24)  Lepcha,  (25)  Limbu,  (26)  Mizo  (Lushai),    (27)  Magahi, (28) Mundari,  (29) Nagpuri, (30) Nicobarese, (31) Pahari (Himachali), (32) Pali,  (33) Rajasthani,  (34)  Sambalpuri/Kosali,  (35)  Shaurseni  (Prakrit),  (36)  Siraiki,  (37) Tenyidi and (38) Tulu.

At  present  there  is  no  established  set  of  objective  criteria  for  inclusion  of languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. 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.

In view of above, no time-frame can be fixed for consideration of the demands for inclusion of more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.

No  proposal  for  giving  classical  status  to  Bhojpuri  Language  has  been received by the Akademi Division of the Ministry of Culture.

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