Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India

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The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India lists the official languages of the Republic of India. At the time when the Constitution was enacted, inclusion in this list meant that the language was entitled to representation on the Official Languages Commission,[1] and that the language would be one of the bases that would be drawn upon to enrich Hindi and English, the official languages of the Union.[2] The list has since, however, acquired further significance. The Government of India is now under an obligation to take measures for the development of these languages, such that "they grow rapidly in richness and become effective means of communicating modern knowledge."[3] In addition, candidates sitting for an examination conducted for public service are entitled to use any of these languages as a medium to answer the paper.[4]

Scheduled languages[edit]

As per Articles 344(1) and 351 of the Constitution of India, the eighth schedule includes the recognition of 22 languages.[5][6]

Chronology[edit]

Demands for expansion[edit]

At present, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs,[7][11] there are demands for inclusion of 39 more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. These are:

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Although linguistically Hindi and Urdu together are classified as a single language called Hindustani, the government classifies them as separate languages instead of different standard registers of the same language for socio-political reasons. See Hindi–Urdu controversy for further information.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Constitution of India, Article 344(1).
  2. ^ Constitution of India, Article 351.
  3. ^ Official Languages Resolution, 1968, para. 2. Archived March 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Official Languages Resolution, 1968, para. 4. Archived March 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Josh, Jagran (4 January 2019). Current Affairs January 2019 eBook: by Jagran Josh. Jagran Josh. pp. 97–.
  6. ^ Arihant Experts (5 March 2022). LLB Bachelor of Laws 12 Solved Papers (2021-2010) For 2022 Exams. Arihant Publications India limited. pp. 320–. ISBN 9789326191210.
  7. ^ a b c "Constitutional provisions relating to Eighth Schedule" (PDF). Ministry Of Home Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  8. ^ "The Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Act, 1967". Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  9. ^ "The Constitution (Seventy-first Amendment) Act, 1992| National Portal of India". www.india.gov.in. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Orissa becomes 'Odisha', Oriya is 'Odia'". The Indian Express. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Demands to include Awadhi as Scheduled Language".