Department of Official Language
{{Infobox government agency
| native_name_a =
| type = ministry
| name = Department of Official Language
| native_name = राजभाषा विभाग
| seal = Ministry of Home Affairs India.svg
| seal_width = 150px
| seal_caption = Ministry of Home Affairs
| jurisdiction = {{flagicon|India}} Republic of India
| headquarters = NDCC-II Bhawan, 'B' Wing 4th Floor,
Jai Singh Road New Delhi - 110001
| region_code = IN
| minister1_name = Amit Shah
| minister1_pfo = Cabinet Minister
| deputyminister1_name = Nityanand Rai
| deputyminister1_pfo = Minister of State
| child1_agency = * Central Translation Bureau
| child2_agency = * Central Hindi Training Institutes
| website = {{url|https://rajbhasha.gov.in/en}}
| logo = Emblem_of_India.svg
| logo_size = 70px
| logo_caption = Emblem of India
| formed = June 1975
| employees =
| budget =
| chief1_name = Ms. Ansuli Arya, IAS
| chief1_position = Secretary
| chief2_name = Dr. Minakshi Jolly, CSS
| chief2_position = Joint Secretary
| chief3_name =
| chief3_position =
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| chief4_position =
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| parent_department = Ministry of Home Affairs
}}
The Department of Official Language is the Government of India's department responsible for the implementation of the provisions of the Constitution relating to official languages and the provisions of the Official Languages Act, 1963. Department of Official Language was set up in June 1975 as an independent Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs.{{Cite web|title=Functions of Department {{!}} Department of Official Language {{!}} Ministry of Home Affairs {{!}} GoI|url=https://rajbhasha.gov.in/en/functions-department|access-date=2021-06-15|website=rajbhasha.gov.in}}
History
The official languages of British India were English, Urdu and later Hindi, with English being used for purposes at the central level.{{cite book|last=Mollin|first=Sandra|title=Euro-English: assessing variety status|year=2006|publisher=Gunter Narr Verlag|isbn=978-3-8233-6250-0|page=17|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qPhULmMmqJMC&pg=PA17}} The Indian constitution adopted in 1950 envisaged that English would be phased out in favour of Hindi, over a fifteen-year period, but gave Parliament the power to, by law, provide for the continued use of English even thereafter.Kanchan Chandra, [http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/politics/faculty/chandra/ps2001.pdf "Ethnic Bargains, Group Instability, and Social Choice Theory", Politics and Society 29, 3: 337–62.] Plans to make Hindi the sole official language of the Republic were met with resistance in many parts of the country. English and Hindi continue to be used today, in combination with others (at the central level and in some states) official languages.
The legal framework governing the use of languages for official purpose currently is the Official Languages Act, 1963, the Official Language Rules, 1976, and various state laws, as well as rules and regulations made by the central government and the states.
The Indian constitution, in 1950, declared Hindi in Devanagari script to be the official language of the union. Unless Parliament decided otherwise, the use of English for official purposes was to cease 15 years after the constitution came into effect, i.e., on 26 January 1965. The prospect of the changeover, however, led to much alarm in the non-Hindi-speaking areas of India, especially Dravidian-speaking states whose languages were not related to Hindi at all. As a result, Parliament enacted the Official Languages Act, 1963,{{cite web | url=http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/dolruleseng.htm | title=The Official Languages (Use for Official Purpose of the Union) – Rules 1976 (As Amended, 1987) | access-date=10 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325173337/http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/dolruleseng.htm | archive-date=25 March 2010}}
[http://www.languageinindia.com/april2002/officiallanguagesact.html Language in India Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow] 2 April 2002 www.languageinindia.com accessed 4 August 2020[http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/RPF/Files/law/BareActs/officiallang1963act.htm THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601185802/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/RPF/Files/law/BareActs/officiallang1963act.htm|date=1 June 2009}}
[http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/khand8-eng7.pdf Committee of Parliament on Official Language report] www.rajbhasha.gov.in {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220150003/http://www.rajbhasha.gov.in/khand8-eng7.pdf |date=20 February 2012}} which provided for the continued use of English for official purposes along with Hindi, even after 1965.
Department of Official Language was set up in June 1975 as an independent Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Organizational structure
Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah is the head of the department. The department is divided into four main offices.
- Central Translation Bureau
- Central Hindi Training Institutes{{Cite web|title=केंद्रीय हिंदी प्रशिक्षण संस्थान, Central Hindi Training Institute, Department of official Language , Government of India|url=http://chti.rajbhasha.gov.in/?0517?22|access-date=2021-06-15|website=chti.rajbhasha.gov.in}}
- Committee of Parliament on Official Language
- Regional Implementation Offices
Activities
Annual targets are set by the Department of Official Language regarding the amount of correspondence being carried out in Hindi. A Parliament Committee on Official Language constituted in 1976 periodically reviews the progress in the use of Hindi and submits a report to the President. The governmental body which makes policy decisions and established guidelines for the promotion of Hindi is the Kendriya Hindi Samiti (est. 1967). In every city that has more than ten central Government offices, a Town Official Language Implementation Committee is established and cash awards are given to government employees who write books in Hindi. All Central government offices and PSUs are to establish Hindi Cells for implementation of Hindi in their offices.{{cite web|title=Official Language – Constitutional/Statutory Provisions |url=http://india.gov.in/knowindia/official_language.php |work=Government of India |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417150059/http://india.gov.in/knowindia/official_language.php |archive-date=17 April 2007}} Department hosts various events throughout the year to promote Hindi language.{{Cite web|title=राजभाषा विभाग मनाएगा हिन्दी पखवाड़ा|url=https://www.patrika.com/surat-news/official-language-department-will-celebrate-hindi-fortnight-5028626/|access-date=2021-06-15|website=Patrika News|date=29 August 2019 |language=hindi}}
=Hindi Diwas=
{{main|Hindi Diwas}}
Hindi Day ({{langx|hi|हिन्दी दिवस}}; Hindī Diwas) is celebrated every year on 14 September marking the declaration of Hindi language as official language of Union government of India. On 14 September 1949, Hindi was adopted as official language in India.{{Cite web|url=https://www.livebiharnews.in/jara-hat-ke/amazing-facts-about-hindi-and-bihar-first-state-official-language.html|title=हिन्दी दिवस: हिन्दी भाषा से जुड़े 19 रोचक तथ्य, ...जानिए|date=2019-09-14|website=Live Bihar News {{!}} लाइव बिहार न्यूज़|language=hi-IN|access-date=2019-09-22|archive-date=2019-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922101817/https://www.livebiharnews.in/jara-hat-ke/amazing-facts-about-hindi-and-bihar-first-state-official-language.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://rajbhasha.nic.in/en/constitutional-provisions|title=Constitutional provisions for Hindi}}
=Workshops=
Hindi language training workshops are arranged periodically by the department.{{Cite web|title=Hindi Workshops {{!}} Department of Official Language {{!}} Ministry of Home Affairs {{!}} GoI|url=https://rajbhasha.gov.in/en/hindi_workshops|access-date=2021-06-15|website=rajbhasha.gov.in}}
=Awards=
Various national awards are given to individuals as well as to other government departments for their exceptional work.
- Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar{{Cite web|title=Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar Resolution {{!}} Department of Official Language {{!}} Ministry of Home Affairs {{!}} GoI|url=https://rajbhasha.gov.in/en/rajbhasha-gaurav-puraskar|access-date=2021-06-15|website=rajbhasha.gov.in}}
- Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar (for other internal government agencies){{Cite web|title=Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar Resolution {{!}} Department of Official Language {{!}} Ministry of Home Affairs {{!}} GoI|url=https://rajbhasha.gov.in/en/rajbhasha-kirti-puraskar|access-date=2021-06-15|website=rajbhasha.gov.in}}
- Official language Achievement Award
Ministry of Home Affairs in its order dated 25 March 2015 has changed name of two awards given annually on Hindi Divas. 'Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Puraskar' instituted in 1986 changed to 'Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar' and 'Rajiv Gandhi Rashtriya Gyan-Vigyan Maulik Pustak Lekhan Puraskar' changed to "Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar".{{cite news|title=Names of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi knocked off Hindi Diwas awards|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/names-of-indira-gandhi-rajiv-gandhi-knocked-off-hindi-diwas-awards/articleshow/46994365.cms|accessdate=21 April 2015|newspaper=The Economic Times|date=21 April 2015}}
Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag
On June 6, 2025, Amit Shah launched Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag platform to facilitates translations between different regional language and Hindi.{{Cite news |date=2025-06-07 |title=Amit Shah launches language hub to 'decolonise' admin |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/amit-shah-launches-language-hub-to-decolonise-admin/articleshow/121684486.cms |access-date=2025-06-07 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Vijaita |date=2024-07-23 |title=In a first, MHA to establish Bhartiya Bhasha Anubhag for translations to and from Hindi |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/in-a-first-mha-to-establish-bhartiya-bhasha-anubhag-for-translations-to-and-from-hindi/article68437171.ece |access-date=2025-06-07 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}
Parliamentary Committee on Official Language
{{Main|Official Languages Commission#Joint parliamentary committee}}
In September 2024, Chairperson of the parliamentary committee, Amit Shah set the goal of using Hindi for country's entire work by the Independence Day, 2047 when the country will mark 100-years of freedom.{{Cite web |title=Amit Shah Is Chairperson Of Parliamentary Committee On Official Language |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/amit-shah-is-chairperson-of-parliamentary-committee-on-official-language-6527905 |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=NDTV.com}}{{Cite web |title=Amit Shah unanimously re-elected as Chairperson of Parliamentary Committee on Official Language |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/amit-shah-unanimously-re-elected-as-chairperson-of-parliamentary-committee-on-official-language20240909214200/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=ANI News |language=en}} The committee has developed a Hindi Shabdkosh in collaboration with Ministry of Education, adding thousands of new words from other local languages, enriching Hindi of wider vocabulary words. Department of Official Language is working on a software that enables translation of all languages of 8th Schedule to Hindi automatically.{{Cite news |date=2024-09-10 |title=Hindi will be made a friend to local languages: Amit Shah |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/hindi-will-be-made-a-friend-to-local-languages-amit-shah/articleshow/113206481.cms |access-date=2024-09-09 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}{{Cite web |last=PTI |title=Need to increase acceptance of Hindi without competing with other languages, says Amit Shah |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/need-to-increase-acceptance-of-hindi-without-competing-with-other-languages-says-amit-shah-3183380 |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
{{Hindi topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Union ministries of India|state=collapsed}}