Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been unanimously re-elected as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language. The announcement was made during a meeting held in New Delhi, where the committee was reconstituted after the formation of the new government.
Amit Shah, who first assumed the role in 2019, expressed his gratitude to committee members for their trust in him. He emphasized the importance of promoting Hindi without undermining local languages, following the principles established by KM Munshi and NG Iyengar decades ago. Shah reiterated that Hindi should act as a unifying language without creating competition or inferiority among speakers of regional languages.
He also highlighted the government’s efforts over the last 10 years to enrich Hindi by incorporating words from various regional languages. These initiatives, he said, aim to create a stronger connection between Hindi and other Indian languages.
Shah revealed that the Department of Official Language is currently developing a software tool capable of translating all languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. This, he believes, will accelerate the use of Hindi in government work.
Over the last five years, the committee has submitted three comprehensive reports to the President, a notable achievement. The Home Minister emphasized that the goal is to ensure that by 2047, on India’s 100th Independence Day, all governmental work is conducted in Indian languages with pride.
He concluded by saying that the committee will continue to work toward fulfilling the vision of freedom fighters who believed in a common language for communication across India. Shah acknowledged the contributions of iconic leaders like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi, and others, who recognized the importance of a unifying national language.
The Parliamentary Committee on Official Language was originally established in 1976 under the Official Languages Act of 1963. It consists of 30 members of Parliament, with 20 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The meeting was also attended by Secretary Anshuli Arya and officials from the Department of Official Language.
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