jbp123/hello · Datasets at Hugging Face

instruction stringlengths 1 84	input stringlengths 1 85	output stringlengths 1 83
Continuance of Existing Laws: Any provision of any law relating	to co-operative societies in force in a state immediately before the	commencement of the Constitution (Ninetyseventh Amendment)
Act, 2011, which is inconsistent with the provisions of this part,	shall continue to be in force until amended or repealed or until the	expiration of one year from such commencement, whichever is
REASONS FOR THE 97TH AMENDMENT	The reasons for adding the above provisions in the Constitution by	the 97th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2011 are as follows:
1. The co-operative sector, over the years, has made	significant contribution to various sectors of national	economy and has achieved voluminous growth. However, it
has shown weaknesses in safeguarding the interests of the	members and fulfilment of objects for which these	institutions were organised. There have been instances
where elections have been postponed indefinitely and	nominated office bearers or administrators have remained	in-charge of these institutions for a long time. This reduces
the accountability in the management of co-operative	societies to their members. Inadequate professionalism in	management in many of the co-operative institutions has led
to poor services and low productivity. Co-operatives need to	run on well established democratic principles and elections	held on time and in a free and fair manner. Therefore, there
was a need to initiate fundamental reforms to revitalise these	institutions in order to ensure their contribution in the	economic development of the country and to serve the
interests of members and public at large and also to ensure	their autonomy, democratic functioning and professional	management.
2. The “co-operative societies” is a subject enumerated in	Entry 32 of the state list of the Seventh Schedule of the	Constitution and the state legislatures have accordingly
enacted legislations on co-operative societies. Within the	framework of State Acts, growth of co-operatives on large	scale was envisaged as part of the efforts for securing social
and economic justice and equitable distribution of the fruits	of development. It has, however, been experienced that in	spite of considerable expansion of co-operatives, their
performance in qualitative terms has not been up to the	desired level. Considering the need for reforms in the Co-	operative Societies Acts of the States, consultations with the
State Governments have been held at several occasions	and in the conferences of state co-operative ministers. A	strong need has been felt for amending the Constitution so
as to keep the co-operatives free from unnecessary outside	interferences and also to ensure their autonomous	organisational set up and their democratic functioning.
3. The Central Government was committed to ensure that the	co-operative societies in the country function in a	democratic, professional, autonomous and economically
sound manner. With a view to bring the necessary reforms, it	was proposed to incorporate a new part in the Constitution	so as to provide for certain provisions covering the vital
aspects of working of co-operative societies like democratic,	autonomous and professional functioning. It was expected	that these provisions will not only ensure the autonomous
and democratic functioning of co-operatives, but also ensure	the accountability of management to the members and other	stakeholders and shall provide for deterrence for violation of
the provisions of the law.	Table 64.1 Articles Related to Co-operative Societies at a Glance	Article No. Subject-matter
243ZH Definitions	243ZI Incorporation of Co-operative Societies	243ZJ Number and Term of Members of Board and its
Office Bearers	243ZK Election of Members of Board	243ZL Supersession and Suspension of Board and
Interim Management	243ZM Audit of Accounts of Co-operative Societies	243ZN Convening of General Body Meetings
243ZO Right of a Member to Get Information	243ZP Returns	243ZQ Offences and Penalties
243ZR Application to Multi-state Co-operative Societies	243ZS Application to Union Territories	243ZT Continuance of Existing Laws
NOTES AND REFERENCES	1. In Part III of the Constitution, in Article 19, in clause (1),	in sub-clause (c), the words “co-operative societies”
were inserted.	2. In Part IV of the Constitution, a new Article 43-B was	inserted, which says: “The state shall endeavour to
promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning,	democratic control and professional management of	cooperative societies”.
3. The “board” means the board of directors or the	governing body of a cooperative society, by whatever	name called, to which the direction and control of the
management of the affairs of a society is entrusted to.	4. An “office bearer” means a president, vice-president,	chairperson, vicechairperson, secretary or treasurer of a
co-operative society and includes any other person to	be elected by the board of any co-operative society.	5. In case of cooperative banks, other than multi-state
cooperative banks, this period cannot exceed one year.	6. The “Registrar” means the Central Registrar appointed	by the Central Government in relation to the multi-state
co-operative societies and the Registrar for co-operative	societies appointed by the state government under the	law made by the legislature of a state in relation to co-
operative societies.	7. February 15, 2012, is the date of commencement of the	Constitution (Ninety-seventh Amendment) Act, 2011.
The Centre has asked state governments to amend	their respective State Cooperative Society Act in tune	with the Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2011 before
65 Official Language	P	art XVII of the Constitution deals with the official language
in Articles 343 to 351. Its provisions are divided into four	heads–Language of the Union, Regional languages,	Language of the judiciary and texts of laws and Special directives.
LANGUAGE OF THE UNION	The Constitution contains the following provisions in respect of the	official language of the Union.
1. Hindi written in Devanagari script is to be the official	language of the Union. But, the form of numerals to be used	for the official purposes of the Union has to be the
international form of Indian numerals and not the Devanagari	form of numerals.	2. However, for a period of fifteen years from the
commencement of the Constitution (i.e., from 1950 to 1965),	the English language would continue to be used for all the	official purposes of the Union for which it was being used
before 1950.	3. Even after fifteen years, the Parliament may provide for the	continued use of English language for the specified
purposes.	4. At the end of five years, and again at the end of ten years,	from the commencement of the Constitution, the president
should appoint a commission to make recommendations	with regard to the progressive use of the Hindi language,	restrictions on the use of the English language and other
related issues1 .	5. A committee of Parliament is to be constituted to examine	the recommendations of the commission and to report its
views on them to the president2 .	Accordingly, in 1955, the president appointed an Official	Language Commission under the chairmanship of B.G. Kher. The
commission submitted its report to the President in 1956. The	report was examined by a committee of Parliament constituted in	1957 under the chairmanship of Gobind Ballabh Pant. However,
another Official Language Commission (as envisaged by the	Constitution) was not appointed in 1960.	Subsequently, the Parliament enacted the Official Languages
Act in 1963. The act provides for the continued use of English	(even after 1965), in addition to Hindi, for all official purposes of	the Union and also for the transaction of business in Parliament.
Notably, this act enables the use of English indefinitely (without	any time-limit). Further, this act was amended in 1967 to make the	use of English, in addition to Hindi, compulsory in certain cases3 .
REGIONAL LANGUAGES	The Constitution does not specify the official language of different	states. In this regard, it makes the following provisions:
1. The legislature of a state may adopt any one or more of the	languages in use in the state or Hindi as the official	language of that state. Until that is done, English is to
continue as official language of that state.	Under this provision, most of the states have adopted the	major regional language as their official language. For
example, Andhra Pradesh has adopted Telugu, Kerala–	Malayalam, Assam–Assamese, West Bengal–Bengali,	Odisha–Odia. The nine northern states of Himachal
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh,	Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana and Rajasthan	have adopted Hindi. Gujarat has adopted Hindi in addition to
Gujarati. Similarly, Goa has adopted Marathi in addition to	Konkani. Jammu and Kashmir has adopted Urdu (and not	Kashmiri). On the other hand, certain north-eastern States
like Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have	adopted English. Notably, the choice of the state is not	limited to the languages enumerated in the Eighth Schedule
of the Constitution.	2. For the time being, the official language of the Union (i.e.,	English) would remain the link language for communications
between the Union and the states or between various states.	But, two or more states are free to agree to use Hindi	(instead of English) for communication between themselves.
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar are	some of the states that have entered into such agreements.	The Official Languages Act (1963) lays down that English
should be used for purposes of communication between the	Union and the non-Hindi states (that is, the states that have	not adopted Hindi as their official language). Further, where
Hindi is used for communication between a Hindi and a non-	Hindi state, such communication in Hindi should be	accompanied by an English translation.
3. When the President (on a demand being made) is satisfied	that a substantial proportion of the population of a state	desire the use of any language spoken by them to be
recognised by that state, then he may direct that such	language shall also be officially recognised in that state. This	provision aims at protecting the linguistic interests of
LANGUAGE OF THE JUDICIARY AND TEXTS OF	LAWS	The constitutional provisions dealing with the language of the
courts and legislation are as follows:	1. Until Parliament provides otherwise, the following are to be	in the English language only:
(a) All proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every high	court.	(b) The authoritative texts of all bills, acts, ordinances,
orders, rules, regulations and bye-laws at the Central	and state levels4 .	2. However, the governor of a state, with the previous consent
of the president, can authorise the use of Hindi or any other	official language of the state, in the proceedings in the high	court of the state, but not with respect to the judgements,
decrees and orders passed by it. In other words, the	judgements, decrees and orders of the high court must	continue to be in English only (until Parliament otherwise
provides).	3. Similarly, a state legislature can prescribe the use of any	language (other than English) with respect to bills, acts,
ordinances, orders, rules, regulations or bye-laws, but a	translation of the same in the English language is to be	published. The Official Languages Act of 1963 lays down
that Hindi translation of acts, ordinances, orders, regulations	and bye-laws published under the authority of the president	are deemed to be authoritative texts. Further, every bill
introduced in the Parliament is to be accompanied by a Hindi	translation. Similarly, there is to be a Hindi translation of	state acts or ordinances in certain cases.
The act also enables the governor of a state, with the previous	consent of the president, to authorise the use of Hindi or any other	official language of the state for judgements, decrees and orders
used in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan for	this purpose.	However, the Parliament has not made any provision for the
use of Hindi in the Supreme Court. Hence, the Supreme Court	hears only those who petition or appeal in English. In 1971, a	petitioner insisted on arguing in Hindi a habeas corpus petition in
the Supreme Court. But, the Court cancelled his petition on the	ground that the language of the Court was English and allowing	Hindi would be unconstitutional.
The Authorised Translations (Central Laws) Act of 1973 lays	down that a Translation in any regional language specified in the	Eight Schedule to the Constitution (other than Hindi) of any central
act, ordinance, order, rule, regulation and bye-law published under	the authority of the President in the Official Gazette is deemed to	be the authoritative texts thereof in such language.
SPECIAL DIRECTIVES	The Constitution contains certain special directives to protect the	interests of linguistic minorities and to promote the development of
Hindi language. There are:	Protection of Linguistic Minorities	In this regard, the Constitution makes the following provisions:
1. Every aggrieved person has the right to submit a	representation for the redress of any grievance to any officer	or authority of the Union or a state in any of the languages
used in the Union or in the state, as the case may be. This	means that a representation cannot be rejected on the	ground that it is not in the official language.
2. Every state and a local authority in the state should provide	adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the	primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic
minority groups. The president can issue necessary	directions for this purpose5 .	3. The president should appoint a special officer for linguistic
minorities to investigate all matters relating to the	constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities and to	report to him. The president should place all such reports
before the Parliament and send to the state government	concerned6 .	Development of Hindi Language
The Constitution imposes a duty upon the Centre to promote the	spread and development of the Hindi language so that it may	become the lingua franca of the composite culture of India7 .
Further, the Centre is directed to secure the enrichment of Hindi	by assimilating the forms, style and expressions used in	hindustani and in other languages specified in the Eighth
At present (2019), the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution	specifies 22 languages (originally 14 languages). These are	Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri (Dongri), Gujarati, Hindi,
Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Mathili (Maithili), Malayalam,	Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia8 , Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali,	Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Sindhi was added by the 21st
Amendment Act of 1967; Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were	added by the 71st Amendment Act of 1992; and Bodo, Dongri,	Maithili and Santhali were added by the 92nd Amendment Act of
2003.	In terms of the Constitution provisions, there are two objectives	behind the specification of the above regional languages in the
Eighth Schedule:	(a) the members of these languages are to be given	representation in the Official Language Commission; and
COMMITTEE OF PARLIAMENT ON OFFICIAL	LANGUAGE9	The Official Languages Act (1963) provided for the setting up of a
Committee of Parliament on Official Language to review the	progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purpose of the	Union. Under the Act, this Committee was to be constituted after
ten years of the promulgation of the Act (i.e., 26th January, 1965).	Accordingly, this Committee was set up in 1976. This Committee	comprises of 30 members of Parliament, 20 from Lok Sabha and
10 from Rajya Sabha.	The Act contains the following provisions relating to the	composition and functions of the committee:

Continuance of Existing Laws: Any provision of any law relating

to co-operative societies in force in a state immediately before the

commencement of the Constitution (Ninetyseventh Amendment)

Act, 2011, which is inconsistent with the provisions of this part,

shall continue to be in force until amended or repealed or until the

expiration of one year from such commencement, whichever is

REASONS FOR THE 97TH AMENDMENT

The reasons for adding the above provisions in the Constitution by

the 97th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2011 are as follows:

1. The co-operative sector, over the years, has made

significant contribution to various sectors of national

economy and has achieved voluminous growth. However, it

has shown weaknesses in safeguarding the interests of the

members and fulfilment of objects for which these

institutions were organised. There have been instances

where elections have been postponed indefinitely and

nominated office bearers or administrators have remained

in-charge of these institutions for a long time. This reduces

the accountability in the management of co-operative

societies to their members. Inadequate professionalism in

management in many of the co-operative institutions has led

to poor services and low productivity. Co-operatives need to

run on well established democratic principles and elections

held on time and in a free and fair manner. Therefore, there

was a need to initiate fundamental reforms to revitalise these

institutions in order to ensure their contribution in the

economic development of the country and to serve the

interests of members and public at large and also to ensure

their autonomy, democratic functioning and professional

management.

2. The “co-operative societies” is a subject enumerated in

Entry 32 of the state list of the Seventh Schedule of the

Constitution and the state legislatures have accordingly

enacted legislations on co-operative societies. Within the

framework of State Acts, growth of co-operatives on large

scale was envisaged as part of the efforts for securing social

and economic justice and equitable distribution of the fruits

of development. It has, however, been experienced that in

spite of considerable expansion of co-operatives, their

performance in qualitative terms has not been up to the

desired level. Considering the need for reforms in the Co-

operative Societies Acts of the States, consultations with the

State Governments have been held at several occasions

and in the conferences of state co-operative ministers. A

strong need has been felt for amending the Constitution so

as to keep the co-operatives free from unnecessary outside

interferences and also to ensure their autonomous

organisational set up and their democratic functioning.

3. The Central Government was committed to ensure that the

co-operative societies in the country function in a

democratic, professional, autonomous and economically

sound manner. With a view to bring the necessary reforms, it

was proposed to incorporate a new part in the Constitution

so as to provide for certain provisions covering the vital

aspects of working of co-operative societies like democratic,

autonomous and professional functioning. It was expected

that these provisions will not only ensure the autonomous

and democratic functioning of co-operatives, but also ensure

the accountability of management to the members and other

stakeholders and shall provide for deterrence for violation of

the provisions of the law.

Table 64.1 Articles Related to Co-operative Societies at a Glance

Article No. Subject-matter

243ZH Definitions

243ZI Incorporation of Co-operative Societies

243ZJ Number and Term of Members of Board and its

Office Bearers

243ZK Election of Members of Board

243ZL Supersession and Suspension of Board and

Interim Management

243ZM Audit of Accounts of Co-operative Societies

243ZN Convening of General Body Meetings

243ZO Right of a Member to Get Information

243ZP Returns

243ZQ Offences and Penalties

243ZR Application to Multi-state Co-operative Societies

243ZS Application to Union Territories

243ZT Continuance of Existing Laws

NOTES AND REFERENCES

1. In Part III of the Constitution, in Article 19, in clause (1),

in sub-clause (c), the words “co-operative societies”

were inserted.

2. In Part IV of the Constitution, a new Article 43-B was

inserted, which says: “The state shall endeavour to

promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning,

democratic control and professional management of

cooperative societies”.

3. The “board” means the board of directors or the

governing body of a cooperative society, by whatever

name called, to which the direction and control of the

management of the affairs of a society is entrusted to.

4. An “office bearer” means a president, vice-president,

chairperson, vicechairperson, secretary or treasurer of a

co-operative society and includes any other person to

be elected by the board of any co-operative society.

5. In case of cooperative banks, other than multi-state

cooperative banks, this period cannot exceed one year.

6. The “Registrar” means the Central Registrar appointed

by the Central Government in relation to the multi-state

co-operative societies and the Registrar for co-operative

societies appointed by the state government under the

law made by the legislature of a state in relation to co-

operative societies.

7. February 15, 2012, is the date of commencement of the

Constitution (Ninety-seventh Amendment) Act, 2011.

The Centre has asked state governments to amend

their respective State Cooperative Society Act in tune

with the Constitution (97th Amendment) Act, 2011 before

65 Official Language

P

art XVII of the Constitution deals with the official language

in Articles 343 to 351. Its provisions are divided into four

heads–Language of the Union, Regional languages,

Language of the judiciary and texts of laws and Special directives.

LANGUAGE OF THE UNION

The Constitution contains the following provisions in respect of the

official language of the Union.

1. Hindi written in Devanagari script is to be the official

language of the Union. But, the form of numerals to be used

for the official purposes of the Union has to be the

international form of Indian numerals and not the Devanagari

form of numerals.

2. However, for a period of fifteen years from the

commencement of the Constitution (i.e., from 1950 to 1965),

the English language would continue to be used for all the

official purposes of the Union for which it was being used

before 1950.

3. Even after fifteen years, the Parliament may provide for the

continued use of English language for the specified

purposes.

4. At the end of five years, and again at the end of ten years,

from the commencement of the Constitution, the president

should appoint a commission to make recommendations

with regard to the progressive use of the Hindi language,

restrictions on the use of the English language and other

related issues1 .

5. A committee of Parliament is to be constituted to examine

the recommendations of the commission and to report its

views on them to the president2 .

Accordingly, in 1955, the president appointed an Official

Language Commission under the chairmanship of B.G. Kher. The

commission submitted its report to the President in 1956. The

report was examined by a committee of Parliament constituted in

1957 under the chairmanship of Gobind Ballabh Pant. However,

another Official Language Commission (as envisaged by the

Constitution) was not appointed in 1960.

Subsequently, the Parliament enacted the Official Languages

Act in 1963. The act provides for the continued use of English

(even after 1965), in addition to Hindi, for all official purposes of

the Union and also for the transaction of business in Parliament.

Notably, this act enables the use of English indefinitely (without

any time-limit). Further, this act was amended in 1967 to make the

use of English, in addition to Hindi, compulsory in certain cases3 .

REGIONAL LANGUAGES

The Constitution does not specify the official language of different

states. In this regard, it makes the following provisions:

1. The legislature of a state may adopt any one or more of the

languages in use in the state or Hindi as the official

language of that state. Until that is done, English is to

continue as official language of that state.

Under this provision, most of the states have adopted the

major regional language as their official language. For

example, Andhra Pradesh has adopted Telugu, Kerala–

Malayalam, Assam–Assamese, West Bengal–Bengali,

Odisha–Odia. The nine northern states of Himachal

Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh,

Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana and Rajasthan

have adopted Hindi. Gujarat has adopted Hindi in addition to

Gujarati. Similarly, Goa has adopted Marathi in addition to

Konkani. Jammu and Kashmir has adopted Urdu (and not

Kashmiri). On the other hand, certain north-eastern States

like Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have

adopted English. Notably, the choice of the state is not

limited to the languages enumerated in the Eighth Schedule

of the Constitution.

2. For the time being, the official language of the Union (i.e.,

English) would remain the link language for communications

between the Union and the states or between various states.

But, two or more states are free to agree to use Hindi

(instead of English) for communication between themselves.

Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar are

some of the states that have entered into such agreements.

The Official Languages Act (1963) lays down that English

should be used for purposes of communication between the

Union and the non-Hindi states (that is, the states that have

not adopted Hindi as their official language). Further, where

Hindi is used for communication between a Hindi and a non-

Hindi state, such communication in Hindi should be

accompanied by an English translation.

3. When the President (on a demand being made) is satisfied

that a substantial proportion of the population of a state

desire the use of any language spoken by them to be

recognised by that state, then he may direct that such

language shall also be officially recognised in that state. This

provision aims at protecting the linguistic interests of

LANGUAGE OF THE JUDICIARY AND TEXTS OF

LAWS

The constitutional provisions dealing with the language of the

courts and legislation are as follows:

1. Until Parliament provides otherwise, the following are to be

in the English language only:

(a) All proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every high

court.

(b) The authoritative texts of all bills, acts, ordinances,

orders, rules, regulations and bye-laws at the Central

and state levels4 .

2. However, the governor of a state, with the previous consent

of the president, can authorise the use of Hindi or any other

official language of the state, in the proceedings in the high

court of the state, but not with respect to the judgements,

decrees and orders passed by it. In other words, the

judgements, decrees and orders of the high court must

continue to be in English only (until Parliament otherwise

provides).

3. Similarly, a state legislature can prescribe the use of any

language (other than English) with respect to bills, acts,

ordinances, orders, rules, regulations or bye-laws, but a

translation of the same in the English language is to be

published. The Official Languages Act of 1963 lays down

that Hindi translation of acts, ordinances, orders, regulations

and bye-laws published under the authority of the president

are deemed to be authoritative texts. Further, every bill

introduced in the Parliament is to be accompanied by a Hindi

translation. Similarly, there is to be a Hindi translation of

state acts or ordinances in certain cases.

The act also enables the governor of a state, with the previous

consent of the president, to authorise the use of Hindi or any other

official language of the state for judgements, decrees and orders

used in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan for

this purpose.

However, the Parliament has not made any provision for the

use of Hindi in the Supreme Court. Hence, the Supreme Court

hears only those who petition or appeal in English. In 1971, a

petitioner insisted on arguing in Hindi a habeas corpus petition in

the Supreme Court. But, the Court cancelled his petition on the

ground that the language of the Court was English and allowing

Hindi would be unconstitutional.

The Authorised Translations (Central Laws) Act of 1973 lays

down that a Translation in any regional language specified in the

Eight Schedule to the Constitution (other than Hindi) of any central

act, ordinance, order, rule, regulation and bye-law published under

the authority of the President in the Official Gazette is deemed to

be the authoritative texts thereof in such language.

SPECIAL DIRECTIVES

The Constitution contains certain special directives to protect the

interests of linguistic minorities and to promote the development of

Hindi language. There are:

Protection of Linguistic Minorities

In this regard, the Constitution makes the following provisions:

1. Every aggrieved person has the right to submit a

representation for the redress of any grievance to any officer

or authority of the Union or a state in any of the languages

used in the Union or in the state, as the case may be. This

means that a representation cannot be rejected on the

ground that it is not in the official language.

2. Every state and a local authority in the state should provide

adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the

primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic

minority groups. The president can issue necessary

directions for this purpose5 .

3. The president should appoint a special officer for linguistic

minorities to investigate all matters relating to the

constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities and to

report to him. The president should place all such reports

before the Parliament and send to the state government

concerned6 .

Development of Hindi Language

The Constitution imposes a duty upon the Centre to promote the

spread and development of the Hindi language so that it may

become the lingua franca of the composite culture of India7 .

Further, the Centre is directed to secure the enrichment of Hindi

by assimilating the forms, style and expressions used in

hindustani and in other languages specified in the Eighth

At present (2019), the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution

specifies 22 languages (originally 14 languages). These are

Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri (Dongri), Gujarati, Hindi,

Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Mathili (Maithili), Malayalam,

Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia8 , Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali,

Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Sindhi was added by the 21st

Amendment Act of 1967; Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were

added by the 71st Amendment Act of 1992; and Bodo, Dongri,

Maithili and Santhali were added by the 92nd Amendment Act of

2003.

In terms of the Constitution provisions, there are two objectives

behind the specification of the above regional languages in the

Eighth Schedule:

(a) the members of these languages are to be given

representation in the Official Language Commission; and

COMMITTEE OF PARLIAMENT ON OFFICIAL

LANGUAGE9

The Official Languages Act (1963) provided for the setting up of a

Committee of Parliament on Official Language to review the

progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purpose of the

Union. Under the Act, this Committee was to be constituted after

ten years of the promulgation of the Act (i.e., 26th January, 1965).

Accordingly, this Committee was set up in 1976. This Committee

comprises of 30 members of Parliament, 20 from Lok Sabha and

10 from Rajya Sabha.

The Act contains the following provisions relating to the

composition and functions of the committee: