Amid objections by the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s Hindi Diwas celebrations in the country on Wednesday, News18 has learnt that the Narendra Modi government has an ambitious plan to promote the language in all its offices, even abroad.
An order, accessed by News18, has been issued by the government in this regard for the formation of a “Town Official Language Implementation Committee” in each country where India has more than seven central government offices, undertakings, or Indian bank branches. Hindi is one of the official languages of India.
“To promote the use of Hindi in Indian offices abroad and remove difficulties in the implementation of the Official Languages Act, a need has been felt to form a joint forum where these offices can discuss issues,” says the order. It mentions that these committees will be formed on the approval of the union home minister and in coordination with the external affairs ministry, and the Indian ambassadors in these countries would be heading them.
The home ministry is celebrating Hindi Diwas this year with a two-day event in Gujarat’s Surat on September 14-15, the first time this annual event will be held outside Delhi. The home minister will be giving his address on Hindi Diwas on Wednesday.
The government, meanwhile, has said that to run the committees, senior officials posted abroad or a Hindi specialist could be nominated. An official from each Indian office, undertaking, or bank located abroad will be a member of the committee and regular meetings should be held, the government order has mentioned.
The work of these committees would be to promote the use of Hindi in government correspondence and review the implementation of the Official Languages Act. The Indian offices abroad will also be encouraged to have competitions and celebrations like Hindi Diwas and seminars to promote the use of Hindi. The home ministry would be seeking a report on this through the external affairs ministry.
Hindi Diwas is celebrated by all Indian embassies abroad to promote the language and create interest in it in foreign countries. The government feels that since Hindi is among the most-spoken languages in the world and given the presence of a large Indian diaspora overseas, its promotion abroad is essential.
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