Official Languages Act 1963
Topic: Federalism and Centre-State Relations · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 2 "Federalism"
Meaning
The Official Languages Act 1963 is a law that lets English continue alongside Hindi for the Union's official work after 1965. Article 343 had allowed English for only 15 years from 1950. After the anti-Hindi agitation in Tamil Nadu in 1965, the Act was amended in 1967. Now English stays until every non-Hindi state legislature and Parliament agree to drop it. In effect, non-Hindi states have a veto over ending English.
Example
English is still used with Hindi for the Union's official work today. This is because no such agreement of all non-Hindi state legislatures and Parliament has ever been reached.
Don't confuse with
- Official Language Commission (Art. 344): an advisory body that recommends the wider use of Hindi. The 1963 Act is a binding law passed by Parliament.
Related concepts
- Language policy of India
- Official language of the Union
- Official Language Commission
- Anti-Hindi agitation
- Eighth Schedule
- Classical language
- Three-language formula