Debate Over Ho Language Inclusion in India's Eighth Schedule Intensifies

Union Minister Nityanand Rai states there's no timeline for including Ho and other languages in the Eighth Schedule, despite ongoing demands. Past committee efforts to fix criteria for addition remain inconclusive. The government is focused on preserving languages through various educational initiatives.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, has confirmed that there is no set timeline for the inclusion of the Ho language into India's Eighth Schedule, a list of official languages recognized by the Constitution. In his address to the Lok Sabha, Rai mentioned that the government has received proposals for adding languages like Ho, Bhumij, and Mundari but remains undecided.

The query was raised by JMM MP Joba Majhi, who emphasized the need to safeguard the Ho language, predominantly spoken across Jharkhand. Minister Rai acknowledged the continuous requests to include several languages in the constitutional list but clarified that there are no established criteria for such inclusions, pointing out the complexities involved.

Rai referred to previous committees, including the Pahwa (1996) and Sitakant Mohapatra (2003), which struggled to create definitive criteria for language inclusion. Given the dynamic nature of language evolution, influenced by socio-cultural, economic, and political factors, fixing a standard guideline remains a challenge.

Despite these challenges, the minister expressed the government's awareness of the importance of language preservation. Initiatives are underway through the Central Institute of Indian Languages and the Ministry of Education to promote a range of Indian languages, including tribal ones like Ho. The agenda aims to develop educational resources such as phonetic readers and educational documentaries to ensure the preservation of these languages.

(With inputs from agencies.)