Aimed at giving an impetus to the use of Hindi, Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti has directed divisions in her Ministry to prepare agenda notes of important meetings first in Hindi and then translate it into English. Ms. Bharti has also asked officers to make a beginning by making file notings in Hindi.
‘Matter of shame’“Though it’s been 68 years since the British left, it’s a matter of great shame and sadness that we haven’t been freed from the tyranny of the English language,” Ms. Bharti said, while chairing a meeting of her Ministry’s Hindi Advisory Committee.
Communications within the department should preferably be in Hindi, with English and Urdu words incorporated only when required, she said, according to a Hindi press statement issued by her office on Wednesday.
The Constitution specifies that Hindi in Devnagari script and English are the official languages of India though it doesn’t deem any language as “national.” There are lawsthat require Hindi and English to be used in public administrative documents.
The Official Languages Rules require a greater use of Hindi in communications between offices of the central government (other than offices in Tamil Nadu, where the rules do not apply). Communications within offices of the same department, however, must be in Hindi if the offices are in Hindi-speaking States.
