In an effort to give an impetus to the use of Hindi, Union Water Resources Minister has directed various divisions in her Ministry to prepare agenda notes of important meetings in Hindi and then translate it into English and suggested to officers — in her departments — that they make a beginning by making file notings in Hindi.
"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," said Ms. Bharti 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 added. Ms. Bharti's words were part of 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 laws, such as The Official Language Act, that 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. Notes and memos in files may be in either Hindi or English, with the Government required to provide a translation into the other language if required, say the Rules.
