{"id":46383,"date":"2025-06-27T21:37:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T16:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=46383"},"modified":"2025-06-27T21:37:27","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T16:07:27","slug":"official-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-06-2025\/official-language","title":{"rendered":"Official Language"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Department of Official Language<\/strong> recently celebrated its golden jubilee, marking <strong>50 years since its establishment in 1975<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On this occasion, the Union Home Minister underscored the <strong>importance of Indian languages<\/strong> in preserving the nation\u2019s cultural identity, asserting that language is not merely a tool of communication but the <strong>\u2018soul of a nation\u2019.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Indian Languages<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s linguistic diversity is not just a cultural asset \u2014 it is a foundational pillar of its national identity, democratic ethos, and inclusive development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural and Civilizational Heritage: <\/strong><strong>Census 2011<\/strong> recognised <strong>121 languages<\/strong> and<strong> over 1,600 mother tongues<\/strong> are used throughout India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Indus Valley script, Br\u0101hm\u012b, and Kharosth\u012b <\/strong>are among the earliest writing systems, reflecting India\u2019s long-standing literary traditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India has <strong>eleven recognized classical languages, <\/strong>i.e. <strong>Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia<\/strong> and recently added <strong>Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Constitutional and Legal Recognition:<\/strong> The <strong>Constitution of India<\/strong> recognizes <strong>22 scheduled languages<\/strong> under the <strong>Eighth Schedule<\/strong>, affirming the equal status and promotion of regional languages.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 350A<\/strong> mandates that states provide <strong>primary education in the mother tongue<\/strong> for children from linguistic minority groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Constitution guarantees the right to conserve one\u2019s language and culture as a <strong>Fundamental Right.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 343<\/strong> designates <strong>Hindi in Devanagari script<\/strong> as the official language of the Union, while <strong>allowing the continued use of English.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 344 <\/strong>provides for the constitution of a Commission and a Committee on Official Language to review and recommend on the progressive use of the Hindi language for official purposes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 345 <\/strong>grants State Legislatures the authority to adopt any one or more languages used in the State or Hindi as the official language(s) of that particular State.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d7d4cd\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"691\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Official-Language-691x1024.png\" alt=\"Official Language\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-46387\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d7d4cd; width:287px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Official-Language-691x1024.png 691w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Official-Language-203x300.png 203w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Official-Language-768x1138.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Official-Language-1037x1536.png 1037w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Official-Language.png 1168w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 691px) 100vw, 691px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of Language &amp; Policy Support<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Multilingualism as a Way of Life:<\/strong> Most Indians grow up speaking two or more languages.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Multilingualism<\/strong> fosters intercultural understanding, social cohesion, and cognitive development, especially among children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Education and Empowerment:<\/strong> The <strong>National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 <\/strong>promotes mother tongue-based education<strong> up to Grade 5<\/strong> and preferably till Grade 8, wherever possible.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Competitive exams<\/strong> like JEE, NEET, and CUET are <strong>now offered in 13 Indian languages<\/strong>, expanding access to higher education.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital platforms like DIKSHA and SWAYAM<\/strong> provide e-learning content in over 130 Indian languages, bridging the digital divide.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>DIKSHA<\/strong> hosts textbooks and learning resources in 33 Indian languages and Indian Sign Language.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SWAYAM<\/strong> offers translated engineering content in 11 Indian languages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Inclusion and Innovation: <\/strong>Under the <strong>Digital India initiative<\/strong>, mobile phones sold in India since 2017 <strong>must support all Indian languages<\/strong>, enabling broader access to e-governance and e-commerce.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Projects like Bhashini<\/strong> aim to develop AI tools for Indian languages, ensuring that technology serves all linguistic communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safeguarding Endangered Languages:<\/strong> India has<strong> lost 50 languages in the past five decades,<\/strong> and many tribal and minority languages remain at risk.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dedicated Institutions for Language Promotion:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Central Hindi Directorate, Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, and CSTT;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>National Councils for Promotion of Urdu and Sindhi Languages;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Central Sanskrit Universities;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Initiatives like the <strong>Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag<\/strong> and the <strong>Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat campaign<\/strong> aim to foster linguistic appreciation and unity among youth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/language-is-the-soul-of-a-nation-not-merely-a-medium-of-communication-says-union-minister-amit-shah\/article69739609.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Department of Official Language recently celebrated its golden jubilee, marking 50 years since its establishment in 1975.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About Indian Languages<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India\u2019s linguistic diversity is not just a cultural asset \u2014 it is a foundational pillar of its national identity, democratic ethos, and inclusive development.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Cultural and Civilizational Heritage: Census 2011 recognised 121 languages and over 1,600 mother tongues are used throughout India.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Indus Valley script, Br\u0101hm\u012b, and Kharosth\u012b are among the earliest writing systems, reflecting India\u2019s long-standing literary traditions.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India has eleven recognized classical languages, i.e. Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia and recently added Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-06-2025\/official-language\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46383","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46383"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46383\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46438,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46383\/revisions\/46438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}