Chief Minister of Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi, announced that Punjabi will now be a compulsory subject for all students in the state of Punjab.

Key Points

• Punjabi language will be made compulsory from classes 1-10.
• Apart from that, it will be made mandatory in offices as well.
• It has been made compulsory to promote mother tongue.
• If any school violates the norm, it will be fined up to Rs 2 lakh for violation.
• As per norms, Punjabi will be written on top of all the boards in Punjab.

What are those bills?

This announcement was made by CM, a day after the state legislative assembly passed 15 bills on November 11, 2021. Two bills were related to the Punjabi language namely, Punjab State Language Amendment Bill, 2021 and Punjabi & Other Languages Education (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Punjabi & Other Languages Education (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Under this bill, Punjabi language will be made a compulsory subject in schools. In case of violation, it has set a fine of rs 2 lakh.

Punjab State Language Amendment Bill, 2021

The bill directs that all official business shall be conducted in Punjabi. In case of violation, a penalty of Rs 500, Rs 2000 and Rs 5000 will be imposed respectively for first, second and third violations.