The official language of India in the United Nations should be Hindi, the language of instruction in central government educational institutions should be Hindi, the work of the High Court should be in Hindi in Hindi-speaking states, Hindi should be made mandatory in the government service examination by instead of English papers – these are the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language to the Union Home Ministry. According to media reports, the Ministry submitted the same report to the President in September.
Regarding teaching in Hindi, the committee said that Hindi should be the language of instruction in the classroom and other related activities. Use of English may be optional. The same principle applies to technology lessons. Therefore KendriyaVidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, Central Universities, IITs, IIMs, and AIIMS – all should come under it. Where there is absolutely no way, only there can be teaching in English. According to the committee, it is necessary to see that it can be done step by step in Hindi.
Hindi to be made the official language
In keeping with this policy, it has been recommended to make the English language paper not compulsory in the government service examination. It has been said to bring Hindi paper instead. According to the committee, the compulsory English paper creates an impression that English is more important. The aim of the committee is not to let that happen.
The report said that not only the government job examination but also the work of government institutions should be done in Hindi. Accordingly, attention has been asked to make knowledge of Hindi one of the criteria in the selection of staff. Officers and staff who ‘willingly’ avoid working in Hindi have been asked to send their reply. It is also recommended that in case of ‘satisfactory explanation’ it should be recorded in their annual performance reports.
If a government post requiring knowledge of the Hindi language is vacant for more than three years, then the head of the institution should take charge of it. In that case, it will be recorded in his annual performance report.
The working language for High Courts
In those states where the official language is Hindi, it is also said that the work of the High Court will be done in Hindi. English translation of the Hindi agenda can be provided to the High Court if the constitutional necessity arises, it said. Commenting that Hindi has gained popularity globally thanks to globalization and liberalism, the committee said that Hindi should be the language of India in the Commonwealth of Nations.
To further increase the popularity of Hindi at home, the committee concluded, more than half of the government’s advertising budget should go to Hindi advertising. Advertisements in Hindi and regional languages have been asked to be encouraged. It is also proposed to put Hindi ads in big size on the front page and English ads in small size on the inner page or end page. Incidentally, Rahul Gandhi was questioned about language on the ‘Bharat Jodo’ Yatra in Karnataka on the 8th.