Context: Recently, the Union Home Minister has been unanimously re-elected as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language. 

About the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language

• The Committee on Official Language was constituted under Section 4 of the Official Languages Act, 1963.

• The Act envisaged the adoption of Hindi for official purposes and provided for the formation of a committee 10 years to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for official purposes.

• This committee was formally established in 1976.

Membership:

• The committee consists of 30 members of Parliament:

• 20 members from the Lok Sabha (House of the People).

• 10 members from the Rajya Sabha (Council of States).

• Members are elected based on a system of proportional representation through the single transferable vote system, ensuring diverse representation from various political backgrounds.

Functions and Responsibilities:

• The committee is tasked with reviewing the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union.

• After conducting its reviews, the committee submits recommendations to the President of India regarding the use of Hindi in various government departments, offices, and public institutions.

• The committee plays an essential role in ensuring that the promotion of Hindi does not overshadow other Indian languages.

• It fosters a consensus and mutual respect among all regional languages while enhancing the use of Hindi in government work.

Initiatives by the Government:

• One of the significant points raised under the Munshi-Iyengar Committee was to form a language commission every 5 years to assess and address the country’s linguistic diversity.

• KM Munshi and NG Iyengar had decided that in order to accept Hindi as the official language and to promote it in government work, Hindi should not compete with any local language.

• The Indian government is integrating new-age technologies with Hindi to increase its relevance in sectors such as employment and technology.

• As part of the New Education Policy, the government prioritized mother tongue education, to establish a foundation in their native language while gaining exposure to other Indian languages.

• 2024 marks the 75th year since Hindi was accepted as the official language of India, so a conference was organized at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi.

• The Home Ministry created a Shabdkosh, and, in collaboration with the education department, added thousands of words from local languages to Hindi.

• The Department of Official Language is developing a software that will automatically translate all the languages of the 8th Schedule on a technical basis.