Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Nine months after a parliamentary panel on official language submitted its recommendations to President Droupadi Murmu regarding Hindi and native languages as a medium of instruction in central universities, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar directed the Union Home Ministry to clear the air on the committee’s mandate.
The instruction came after CPM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas wrote to Dhankhar seeking clarification on whether the committee’s power regarding the medium of instruction in universities and professional institutions is beyond the purview of the Official Language Act, 1963. However, in its reply to the Rajya Sabha secretariat dated May 25, 2023, the Home Ministry simply quoted Section 4(3) of the Act.
“It shall be the duty of the Committee to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union and submit a report to the President,” it stated. “The Hon’ble MP in his letter addressed to the Hon’ble Chairman of the Rajya Sabha has raised the query that ‘whether the recent recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee regarding the medium of instruction in Universities and professional institutions is ultra vires of the Act (Official Languages Act, 1963),” said the ministry.
Speaking to this newspaper, Brittas said that it was clear from the ministry’s response that recommending the medium of instruction to higher educational institutions doesn’t come under its purview and its mandate is only to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union.
“I was constrained to take up the issue with the V-P after failing to get a satisfactory response in Parliament on the ambit of the Official Language Committee. Now, the government has implicitly stated that it’s not within the remit of the committee to dwell on the medium of instruction in educational institutions. And this could be one reason why the report hasn’t been made public so far,” he said.
Along with the attached response from the Home Ministry, Brittas received the letter from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on June 22 with the subject line “Misleading reply to unstarred Question 52 given in the Rajya Sabha on 7th December 2022, regarding Committee of Parliament on Official Language & Official Languages Act, 1963.”
A row erupted in October last year after the official Language panel headed by Home Minister Amit Shah recommended the usage of Hindi as a medium of instruction in technical and non-technical institutions, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Hindi-speaking states and respective native languages in other parts of the country.
The move was vehemently opposed by the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and other opposition-ruled states, as they allege that it’s an attempt to impose Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states. The Committee of Parliament on Official Language was set up in 1976 under Section 4(1) of the Official Languages Act. The Ministry, in its response, further said that it cannot comment on the recommendations of the Committee as it has been placed for the President’s perusal and is under her consideration.
“These recommendations have not been made public. Since the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee are neither in the public domain nor available to this department. Hence, no comments thereon can be made at present,” it said.
In a written reply to John Brittas on December 7 in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra said, “provision regarding the medium of instruction in educational institutions is stipulated in the National Education Policy (2020) which envisages imparting more programs in higher education, using mother tongue/ local language as a medium of instruction, and/or offers programs bilingually.
‘Not under purview’
“It was clear from the home ministry’s response that recommending the medium of instruction to higher educational institutions doesn’t come under its purview and its mandate is only to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union. I was constrained to take up the issue with V-P after failing to get a satisfactory response on the ambit of the Official Language Committee. Now, the government has stated that it’s not within the remit of the committee to dwell on the medium of instruction.”
NEW DELHI: Nine months after a parliamentary panel on official language submitted its recommendations to President Droupadi Murmu regarding Hindi and native languages as a medium of instruction in central universities, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar directed the Union Home Ministry to clear the air on the committee’s mandate.
The instruction came after CPM Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas wrote to Dhankhar seeking clarification on whether the committee’s power regarding the medium of instruction in universities and professional institutions is beyond the purview of the Official Language Act, 1963. However, in its reply to the Rajya Sabha secretariat dated May 25, 2023, the Home Ministry simply quoted Section 4(3) of the Act.
“It shall be the duty of the Committee to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union and submit a report to the President,” it stated. “The Hon’ble MP in his letter addressed to the Hon’ble Chairman of the Rajya Sabha has raised the query that ‘whether the recent recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee regarding the medium of instruction in Universities and professional institutions is ultra vires of the Act (Official Languages Act, 1963),” said the ministry.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Speaking to this newspaper, Brittas said that it was clear from the ministry’s response that recommending the medium of instruction to higher educational institutions doesn’t come under its purview and its mandate is only to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union.
“I was constrained to take up the issue with the V-P after failing to get a satisfactory response in Parliament on the ambit of the Official Language Committee. Now, the government has implicitly stated that it’s not within the remit of the committee to dwell on the medium of instruction in educational institutions. And this could be one reason why the report hasn’t been made public so far,” he said.
Along with the attached response from the Home Ministry, Brittas received the letter from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on June 22 with the subject line “Misleading reply to unstarred Question 52 given in the Rajya Sabha on 7th December 2022, regarding Committee of Parliament on Official Language & Official Languages Act, 1963.”
A row erupted in October last year after the official Language panel headed by Home Minister Amit Shah recommended the usage of Hindi as a medium of instruction in technical and non-technical institutions, including Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Hindi-speaking states and respective native languages in other parts of the country.
The move was vehemently opposed by the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala and other opposition-ruled states, as they allege that it’s an attempt to impose Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states. The Committee of Parliament on Official Language was set up in 1976 under Section 4(1) of the Official Languages Act. The Ministry, in its response, further said that it cannot comment on the recommendations of the Committee as it has been placed for the President’s perusal and is under her consideration.
“These recommendations have not been made public. Since the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee are neither in the public domain nor available to this department. Hence, no comments thereon can be made at present,” it said.
In a written reply to John Brittas on December 7 in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Kumar Mishra said, “provision regarding the medium of instruction in educational institutions is stipulated in the National Education Policy (2020) which envisages imparting more programs in higher education, using mother tongue/ local language as a medium of instruction, and/or offers programs bilingually.
‘Not under purview’
“It was clear from the home ministry’s response that recommending the medium of instruction to higher educational institutions doesn’t come under its purview and its mandate is only to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union. I was constrained to take up the issue with V-P after failing to get a satisfactory response on the ambit of the Official Language Committee. Now, the government has stated that it’s not within the remit of the committee to dwell on the medium of instruction.”
