LANGUAGE POLICY IN

INDIA
When we think about the Indian languages, the first thing that comes to mind is Hindi. Of course,
Hindi is an important aspect of India’s language policy, however, it is not a national language. In
fact, there is no national language constituted by the constitution of India.

When it comes to language policy, it’s important to understand the distinction between a
country’s national language and its official language. While the national language is the language
most widely used in cultural, political, and social domains, the official language is the language
used for all government operations.

History of Languages in India

India is a vast country with a rich cultural heritage and thousands of languages. Because of its
long history, it has been a melting pot of cultures, religions, and ethnicities. In addition to these,
India has a long history in the field of language. There is an old saying in India that languages
change every 60 to 80 kilometers. Many languages are used in daily life in a multilingual society
like India. One language may be preferred for domestic and social groups, another for
administration and work, and a third for religious discourse, and it’s all very normal and on daily
practices.

According to the 1971 Census, more than 1600 languages and dialects were spoken in India.
however, most of these languages were spoken by very few people and failed to gain recognition
by the government. Although it varies from different contexts, it is said that more than 280
languages and dialects were spoken by more than 5000 people each. Such languages are
recognized by the government of India.

The Language Policy of India

Any decision or principle of action adopted irt usage of language or languages by an
organisation or individual is known as language policy.

Here are a few important features of India’s Language policy:

No National Language
India has a liberal language policy that allows all cultures and languages to grow and be
respected equally. In India, there is no national language. The government has made certain that
all regions, languages, and cultures are acknowledged and respected. This has strengthened the
country while also reducing the possibility of social conflicts arising from diverse social
interests.

Official Language Act of 1963

According to the Official Language Act of 1963, the Indian government placed a foundation for
India’s linguistic policy. The Kothari Commission developed the language policies, which at the
time used Hindi, to meld India’s various cultures and dialects. However, in response to some
non-Hindi speaking states’ objections, particularly those in the south, also due to the failure of
the three-language formula, it underwent a transformation of goals that ultimately resulted in the
designation of Hindi and English as quasi-official languages.

The policy grants a candidate to take the examinations in any of the mentioned languages, and
newly appointed members of state assemblies can take the oath in any of the mentioned
languages. Each state has a predetermined set of official languages, and state governments
ensure that the languages of that state are recognized by using them in 4 official documents.
Furthermore, no language in India has the status of national language under the Indian
constitution.

The Scheduled Languages

There are 22 languages listed in the Indian Constitution’s Eighth Schedule that are recognized as
Scheduled Languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada,
Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Meitei (Manipuri), Nepali, Odia, Punjabi,
Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

These languages are designated as scheduled languages and receive official recognition and
support to be safeguarded and preserved by the law. In addition, six ancient classical languages
dating back more than 5,000 years have been recognized by the government.

Implementation of Three-Language Formula

The three-language formula was a policy introduced by the Education Ministry of India in 1968
under the National Policy Resolution. It states that three languages must be taught in all
government schools across India, according to the policy, English will be taught as a mandated
language, Hindi will, be compulsory for the students, both in Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi-
speaking states, and the third language is the local language of the region where the school is
located, will also be a compulsory subject.
As expected, the three-language formula took various forms in India based on states and their
respective officers and local languages. While Hindi and English are still widely spoken by the
people till now.

Apart from the apparent goal of increasing awareness of Hindi and English as mandate
languages, the basic goal of the three-language formula was to increase multilingualism in
children across the country. Multilingualism, as scientific evidence suggests, not only broadens a
child’s horizons but also promotes creativity and social tolerance. Which, the leaders of India
wanted to create a base for the youth of India.

However, the three-language formula failed for a variety of reasons, leading many states to adopt
a two-language formula, generally in Hindi-speaking states: Hindi and English, and in non-
Hindi-speaking states: state language and mostly English or seldomly Hindi.

22 Official Languages by 2022

Hindi in Devanagari script was initially designated as the official language of the union by the
1950 Indian constitution. The goal was to replace English as the official language of the
countries with Hindi. However, it sparked a backlash in several parts of India where Hindi is not
spoken, particularly in the Dravidian-speaking states, where Hindi has no relation to their native
tongues. As a result, the Official Languages Act, of 1963 was passed by Parliament, ensuring
that Hindi and English would continue to be used for official purposes.

Currently, including Hindi and English, there are more than 20 languages, that are recognized as
the official languages of India, being spoken in different subcontinents of the Indian region. Such
as Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, Nepali, Marathi, etc.

Language policy as specified in Indian ConstitutiON

After independence the most important task was to administer the newly independent country.
The leaders wanted an india where the law passed by the government in a language that can be
understood to all, anyone can easily communicate to others via a common language. One of the
motives behind this was to eradicate english language. Thus on sept 14 1949, the constituent
assembly passed the constitutional provisions regarding the official languages . Hindi was made
official language instead of national language.

The provisions of official language of India may be divided into 9 parts

 1. OFICCIAL LANGUAGE OF UNION
2. OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF STATES
3. LANGUAGE OF INTER COMMUNICATION
4. LANGUAGE OF THE SUPREME COURT
5. FORMATION OF A LANGUAGE COMMISION
6. LANGUAGE TO BE USED IN UNION PARLIAMENT AND STATE
LEGISLATURES
7. SAFEGUARDS OF LINGUISTIC MINORITIES
8. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS FOR THE PROMOTION DEVELOPMENT AND
USE OF HINDI LANGUAGE
9. SPECIFICATION OF SOME IMPORTANT LANGUAGES AS THE NATIONAL
LANGUAGES.

To manage multilingualism, the whole part of XVII OF THE CONSTITUTION IS DEVOTED

TO LANGUAGE

 Article 343: This article deals with the official language of the Union. It states that Hindi
in the Devanagari script shall be the official language of the Union of India. However, it
also provides for the continued use of English for official purposes for a transitional
period.
 Article 344: This article deals with the Constitution of a Commission and Parliament’s
duty to ensure its functioning. It empowers the President to appoint a Commission to
make recommendations on the progressive use of Hindi for official purposes.
 Article 345: This article empowers the state legislatures to decide the official language or
languages to be used within the state, subject to certain conditions.
 Article 346: This article provides for the use of English language for official purposes in
the Union and in the states for a transitional period.
 Article 347: This article allows the President to authorize the use of Hindi in addition to
English in proceedings in the Supreme Court and the High Courts.
 Article 348: This article deals with the language to be used in the Supreme Court and in
the High Courts and for Acts, Bills, etc., as well as the authority to regulate the use of
English in these courts.
 Article 349: This article empowers the President to issue directions for the use of Hindi
in addition to English in the administration of the Union.
 Article 350: This article provides for the facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at
primary stage.
 Article 350A: This article deals with the facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at
primary stage for certain classes.
 Article 350B: This article provides for the appointment of Special Officer for linguistic
minorities.
  Article 351: This article provides for the directive for the development of the Hindi
language.

Schedules:
 Eighth Schedule: This schedule contains a list of 22 languages recognized by the
Constitution, which includes Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri,
Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil,
Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili, and Dogri. These languages are referred to as the
"scheduled languages."
 Ninth Schedule: This schedule contains laws which are outside the purview of judicial
review. It includes laws related to land reforms, etc., and doesn't directly pertain to
language policy, but it's relevant in the context of protecting certain laws related to
language from legal challenges.

These articles and schedules together form the framework for language policy in India as
specified by the Indian Constitution. They outline the status of languages, their usage in various
contexts, and the mechanisms for their development and promotion.