Official Language Committee’s Recommendations

October 14, 2022

The 11^th volume of the Official Language Committee was submitted to President Murmu in September 2022.

Key facts

The committee recommended using Hindi as a medium of instruction in IITs, IIMs and central universities in Hindi-speaking states.
High Courts in non-Hindi speaking states, where proceedings are recorded in English or a regional language, must make translations available in Hindi since they are often cited in judgements.
Government officials and other employees in the central government not using Hindi in Hindi-speaking states will face consequences in the Annual Performance Assessment Report (APAR).
If imposed, these rules will be applicable only in states where Hindi is the official language.
States like Tamil Nadu and Kerala are exempted under The Official Languages Act, 1963 and the Rules and Regulations (of the Act), 1976.
According to the rules, Hindi is official language in A category states, which include Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, and the UTs of Delhi and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Category B states, where Hindi is used less than 65 per cent, include Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Punjab, and the Union Territories of Chandigarh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Category C states are those where the use of Hindi is less than 65 per cent.
The Committee suggests fully using Hindi as a medium of communication in A category states, while other states can use regional languages.
Its ultimate aim is to minimize the usage of the English language in official communication and increase the usage of Hindi.

What is Official Language Committee?

The Official Language Committee, headed by the Union Home Minister, was set up to review and promote the use of Hindi language in official communication, as mandated by Article 351 of the Indian Constitution. It was constituted in 1976 under Section 4 of The Official Languages Act, 1963 The first report of the Committee was submitted in 1987.

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