Lok Sabha Question No. 364 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-20
Subject: Inclusion of Rajasthani Language in Eighth Schedule
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Manoj Rajoria

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 364

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 20 TH  JULY, 2021/ ASHADHA 29, 1943 (SAKA)

INCLUSION OF RAJASTHANI LANGUAGE IN EIGHTH SCHEDULE

364.      DR. MANOJ RAJORIA:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) the major languages next to Hindi on the basis of the speaker of those languages in the country;

(b) the position of Rajasthani language in this series;

(c) whether any such languages have been included in the Eighth Schedule of  the  constitution  which  have  less  number  of  speakers  than  Rajasthani language;

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  include  Rajasthani  language  in the Eighth Schedule of the constitution; and

(f) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI NITYANAND RAI)

(a) to (d): A total of 22 languages of India are specified under the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India. As per the information received from the Registrar General of India, the number of persons and the percentage of people who speak the 22 specified languages under Eighth Schedule of the  Constitution  of India as per  Census 2011 is at Annexure.  Further, as

## L.S.US.Q. NO.364 FOR 20.07.2021

per Census 2011, Rajasthani is grouped as a mother tongue under Hindi and is spoken by 2,58,06,344 persons.

(e) & (f): There  have  been  demands  from  time  to  time  for  inclusion  of Rajasthani in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. As the evolution of dialects and languages is a dynamic process, influenced by socio-cultural, economic and political developments, it is difficult  to fix  any criteria  for languages, whether to distinguish them from dialects, or for inclusion in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. The earlier attempts, through the Pahwa (1996) and Sitakant Mohapatra (2003) Committees, to evolve such fixed criteria have been inconclusive. Government of India is conscious of the  sentiments  and  requirements  for  inclusion  of  other  languages  in  the Eighth  Schedule.  Such  requests  have  to  be  considered  keeping  in  mind these sentiments, and the other relevant considerations.

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## STATEMENT SHOWING THE INFORMATION IN RESPECT OF PART (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.364 FOR 20.07.2021

| S. No.   | Language   | who returned the as their mother tongue   | Percentage to total population   |
|----------|------------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| (1)      | (2)        | (3)                                       | (4)                              |
| 1        | Hindi      | 52,83,47,193                              | 43.63                            |
| 2        | Bengali    | 9,72,37,669                               | 8.03                             |
| 3        | Marathi    | 8,30,26,680                               | 6.86                             |
| 4        | Telugu     | 8,11,27,740                               | 6.70                             |
| 5        | Tamil      | 6,90,26,881                               | 5.70                             |
| 6        | Gujarati   | 5,54,92,554                               | 4.58                             |
| 7        | Urdu       | 5,07,72,631                               | 4.19                             |
| 8        | Kannada    | 4,37,06,512                               | 3.61                             |
| 9        | Odia       | 3,75,21,324                               | 3.10                             |
| 10       | Malayalam  | 3,48,38,819                               | 2.88                             |
| 11       | Punjabi    | 3,31,24,726                               | 2.74                             |
| 12       | Assamese   | 1,53,11,351                               | 1.26                             |
| 13       | Maithili   | 1,35,83,464                               | 1.12                             |
| 14       | Santali    | 73,68,192                                 | 0.61                             |
| 15       | Kashmiri   | 67,97,587                                 | 0.56                             |
| 16       | Nepali     | 29,26,168                                 | 0.24                             |
| 17       | Sindhi     | 27,72,264                                 | 0.23                             |
| 18       | Dogri      | 25,96,767                                 | 0.21                             |
| 19       | Konkani    | 22,56,502                                 | 0.19                             |
| 20       | Manipuri   | 17,61,079                                 | 0.15                             |
| 21       | Bodo       | 14,82,929                                 | 0.12                             |
| 22       | Sanskrit   | 24,821                                    | N                                |