Polity · X-Factor Notes
Official Languages revision notes for UPPCS Prelims.
High-Yield Revision| Concept | What to remember | Asked in UPPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Constitutional Part and Articles | Part XVII of the Constitution deals with Official Language, covering Articles 343 to 351. | U.P.R.O./A.R.O. (Mains) 2013, UPPSC Prelims 2023 |
| Official Language of the Union | Shall be Hindi in Devanagari script. The digits used for official purposes shall be the international form of Indian numerals. | |
| Nature of Hindi | Hindi is the Official Language of the Union, not the National Language of India. | UPPCS (Mains) 2016 |
| Use of English Language | The Constitution initially permitted the use of English language for all official purposes for a period of 15 years. | UPPSC Prelims 2023 |
| Official Language Commission | The President has the power (under Article 344) to form a commission related to official language. The first such commission was constituted in 1955 under the chairmanship of B.G. Kher. | UPPCS (Pre) 1998 |
| Adoption of State Official Language | Article 345 provides the procedure for adoption of the official language or languages of a State. | |
| Language of Judiciary | All proceedings in the Supreme Court and every High Court shall be done in the English language (Article 348(1)(a)). | |
| Amendment of Provisions | Provisions related to official language may be amended by Simple Majority (if relating to aspects like use of English after 15 years under Article 343(3)). The procedure is complex and sometimes controversial/ambiguous depending on the specific article involved. | UPPCS (Pre) 2018, UPPCS (Mains) 2005 |
| Concept | What to remember | Asked in UPPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction in Mother-Tongue | Article 350-A provides that every state shall endeavour to provide adequate facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups. | U.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 2003, U.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 2002, U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2002 |
| Special Officer for Minorities | Article 350B provides for the establishment of a special officer for linguistic minorities, appointed by the President. | U.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 2024 |
| Concept | What to remember | Asked in UPPCS |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose and Original Languages | The Eighth Schedule lists languages recognized by the Constitution. It originally had 14 languages. | |
| Total Recognized Languages | At present, there are 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule. | UPPCS (GIC) 2010 |
| 21st Amendment Act, 1967 |
| Sanskrit as Second Official Language | The State of Uttarakhand gave the Sanskrit language the status of the second official language. | UPPCS (Pre) 2011 |
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| UPPCS (Pre) 1990 |
| 71st Amendment Act, 1992 | Added Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali. |
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| 92nd Amendment Act, 2003 | Added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali. Bodo is a recognized language under this schedule. | UPPCS (Mains) 2016 |
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| 96th Amendment Act, 2011 | Renamed the language Oriya to Odia in the Eighth Schedule. | U.P. R.O./A.R.O. (Mains) 2016 |
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