Language Problem under Indian Federalism

Language Problem under Indian Federalism

Author Name : Omkar S Bangar

ABSTRACT Language is not only a mode of communication but also help’s people to connect and draws them closer. India has been a multilingual country for thousands of years. After India gained independence, in order to unify people a need for national language was felt by makers of Constitution. In 1963, Official Languages Act,1963 was passed to achieve the aim. Currently there are 22 scheduled languages, 100 unscheduled languages and over 1700 dialects. Even the formation of states in India is on basis of linguistic diversity and differences. India is a federal system where powers are divided in between center and state over a variety of subjects under their jurisdiction including language. Even though Hindi and English are used as official languages, there is no national language of nation.