1. INTRODUCTION
states of India, regarding the replacement of English by Hindi. It
was argued that Hindi was not developed enough to replace English
in its administrative domain. Thus, the Official Language Act
(OLA) was passed in 1963 providing for the continuation of English
as an associate official language in the Union and also for its use in
parliament for an indefinite period of time. The Act dealt with the
setting-up of the Committee on Official Language, authorization of
the Hindi translation of Central and State acts, optional use of Hindi
in judgments of High courts, etc. The passing of the OLA was
successful in achieving timely political gains, but it has not been in
the interest of the development of Hindi and its use as the sole
official language of the Union in the years to come.
The development of Hindi has become a complex concern for the
Government of India. The development of Hindi is often linked to
the development of other regional languages. The Ministry of Home
Affairs (Government of India) Resolution (1968) made some
important recommendations in this regard:
- It is the duty of the Government of India to promote the spread
of the Hindi language. - The development of Hindi as well as other regional languages
is in the interest of the educational and cultural advancement of
the country. - Efforts should be made to implement the Three-Language
Formula. - Compulsory knowledge of Hindi or English should be essential
for the public service of the Union. - Languages of the Eighth Schedule should be used as alternative
media for examinations for all-India and higher Central
services.
The Resolution adopted by the Ministry of Home Affairs has turned
out to be merely a political policy statement. It was not followed by
an action plan for the promotion or the spread of the Hindi language
in a sustainable manner, although it was rightly realized that the
development of Hindi and regional languages is necessary for the
educational and cultural advancement of the country. No clear-cut
strategies were framed for encouraging their use in education. It did
not stop the mushrooming of competing English-medium private
schools. Efforts were made to implement the Three-Language
Formula, but, in the absence of proper monitoring of its