Proposals pending for inclusion in the VIII Schedule
There are 38 proposals pending for inclusion
in the VIII Schedule of the Constitution with the government. The government
had instituted an official group to look into the inclusion of these languages
in the VIII Schedule. The committee has given its report and the government is
examining it.
Background:
The proposal to include English along with 37
other regional languages like Bhojpuri, Chattisgarhi, Khasi and Bundelkhandi in
the VIII Schedule of the Constitution, granting it an official status, has been
pending with the Centre for 12 years now.
Procedural requirement for inclusion of
languages in the Eighth Schedule:
A Committee was set up in September, 2003
under the Chairmanship of Shri Sitakant Mohapatra to evolve a set of objective
criteria for inclusion of more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the
Constitution. The Committee submitted its report in 2004.
- The report of the Committee is under consideration
in consultation with the concerned Minorities/Departments of the Central
Government.
- However, no time frame is fixed for consideration of
the demands for inclusion of more languages in Eighth Schedule to the
Constitution of India.
Constitutional provisions relating to Eighth
Schedule:
The Constitutional provisions relating to the
Eighth Schedule occur in articles 344(1) and 351 of the Constitution.
- Article 344(1) provides for the
constitution of a Commission by the President on expiration of five years
from the commencement of the Constitution and thereafter at the expiration
of ten years from such commencement, which shall consist of a Chairman and
such other members representing the different languages specified in the
Eighth Schedule to make recommendations to the President for the
progressive use of Hindi for official purposes of the Union.
- Article 351 of the Constitution provides that it shall be the duty of the
Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it
may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite
culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without
interfering with its genius, the forms, style and expressions used in
Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the Eighth
Schedule, and by drawing, wherever necessary or desirable, for its
vocabulary, primarily, on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages.
- The Eighth Schedule was mainly intended to promote the progressing use of Hindi and for the enrichment and promotion of that language.
