Department of Official Language

Department of Official Language
राजभाषा विभाग
	Ministry of Home Affairs
	Emblem of India
Ministry overview
Formed	June 1975
Jurisdiction	Republic of India
Headquarters	NDCC-II Bhawan, 'B' Wing 4th Floor, Jai Singh Road New Delhi - 110001
Minister responsible	Amit Shah, Cabinet Minister;
Deputy Minister responsible	Nityanand Rai, Minister of State;
Ministry executives	Ms. Ansuli Arya, IAS, Secretary; Dr. Minakshi Jolly, CSS, Joint Secretary;
Parent department	Ministry of Home Affairs
Child agencies	* Central Translation Bureau; * Central Hindi Training Institutes;
Website	rajbhasha.gov.in/en

The Department of Official Language (Hindi: राजभाषा विभाग), established in June 1975 as a separate entity within the Ministry of Home Affairs, is tasked with implementing the constitutional provisions regarding official languages, as well as the regulations outlined in the Official Languages Act of 1963. This department plays a crucial role in ensuring adherence to language policies in the Government of India.^[1]

HistoryEdit

The official languages of British India included English, Hindustani in Urdu script, and later Hindi, with English primarily utilised for central administration. The Indian Constitution, enacted in 1950, proposed a gradual transition from English to Hindi over a period of fifteen years, although it granted Parliament the authority to legislate for the continued use of English beyond that timeframe. Efforts to establish Hindi as the sole official language faced significant opposition in various regions, leading to the current scenario where both English and Hindi are used alongside other official languages at the central level and in certain states.^[2]^[3]

The legal framework governing the official use of languages today comprises the Official Languages Act of 1963, the Official Language Rules of 1976, various state laws, and additional rules and regulations established by both the central and state governments.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

According to the Indian Constitution adopted in 1950, Hindi written in Devanagari script was designated as the official language of the Union. It stipulated that unless Parliament decided otherwise, English would no longer be used for official purposes after 15 years from the Constitution's implementation, specifically on 26 January 1965. However, this impending change caused considerable concern in non-Hindi-speaking regions, particularly in Dravidian-speaking states whose languages bear no relation to Hindi. Consequently, Parliament passed the Official Languages Act in 1963, allowing for the continued use of English alongside Hindi for official functions even after 1965.

In June 1975, the Department of Official Language was established as an independent entity within the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Parliamentary committee on official languageEdit

In September 2024, Amit Shah, the Chairperson of the parliamentary committee, announced an ambitious objective to adopt Hindi as the primary language for all official work in the country by Independence Day in 2047, coinciding with the centenary of India’s freedom. The committee has partnered with the Ministry of Education to create a Hindī Śabdakōśa (Hindi dictionary), which incorporates thousands of new words from various regional languages, thereby broadening the vocabulary of Hindi. Additionally, the Department of Official Language is developing software that will facilitate the automatic translation of all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule into Hindi.

NotesEdit

ReferencesEdit

↑ "Functions of Department | Department of Official Language | Ministry of Home Affairs | GoI". rajbhasha.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
↑ Mollin, Sandra (2006). Euro-English: assessing variety status. Gunter Narr Verlag. p. 17. ISBN 978-3-8233-6250-0.
↑ Kanchan Chandra, "Ethnic Bargains, Group Instability, and Social Choice Theory", Politics and Society 29, 3: 337–62.
↑ "The Official Languages (Use for Official Purpose of the Union) – Rules 1976 (As Amended, 1987)". Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
↑ Commissioner Linguistic Minorities Archived 8 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Language in India Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow 2 April 2002 www.languageinindia.com accessed 4 August 2020
↑ THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963 Archived 1 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
↑ National Portal of India: Know India: Profile Archived 17 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Committee of Parliament on Official Language report www.rajbhasha.gov.in Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine

Read alsoEdit

[1] "Functions of Department | Department of Official Language | Ministry of Home Affairs | GoI". rajbhasha.gov.in. Retrieved 2021-06-15.

[2] Mollin, Sandra (2006). Euro-English: assessing variety status. Gunter Narr Verlag. p. 17. ISBN 978-3-8233-6250-0.

[3] Kanchan Chandra, "Ethnic Bargains, Group Instability, and Social Choice Theory", Politics and Society 29, 3: 337–62.

[languages-4] "The Official Languages (Use for Official Purpose of the Union) – Rules 1976 (As Amended, 1987)". Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2015.

[5] Commissioner Linguistic Minorities Archived 8 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine

[6] Language in India Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow 2 April 2002 www.languageinindia.com accessed 4 August 2020

[7] THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963 Archived 1 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine

[8] National Portal of India: Know India: Profile Archived 17 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine

[9] Committee of Parliament on Official Language report www.rajbhasha.gov.in Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine

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