EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Sept 9: As the central government is all set to make Hindi as one of the official languages in Jammu and Kashmir, the state authorities are in a fix over identifying the loopholes they had earlier created while rendering Hindi as an important and unwanted language in the erstwhile state.
The Union Cabinet on September 02, this year, approved a bill under which Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi, apart from the existing Urdu and English, will be the official languages in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Announcing the decision at a news briefing, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020, will be introduced in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. The Bill received the Cabinet nod Wednesday at a meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Early Times newspaper had already reported in the past that Jammu and Kashmir which was multi-lingual state having mix population speaking Hindi, Urdu, Gojri, Pahari, Balti, Shinam Dardi, Ladakhi, Dogri, Punjabi etc, one language cannot bridge the gap communication in official correspondence especially when the communication is inter- district. The UT authorities while hinting at rejecting any such plea that would stress over the introduction of Hindi language in offices have stated that Section 145 of the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir deals with the official language of the UT.
The Section reads:- “The official language of the UT shall be Urdu but the English shall, unless the legislature by Law otherwise provides, continue to be used for all official purposes of the UT for which it was to be used immediately before the commencement of the constitution.”
The cold response of the past governments over introducing Hindi language as one of the official languages in the UT besides Urdu and English was tantamount to rejecting a very basic right of UT’s large chunk of the population that speaks, writes and understands Hindi. Though there have been several instances when the measures for the induction of Hindi language were taken, however, the dilatory approach of the helmsmen here has acted as a major spoilsport in the entire process. Furthermore, what is more ironic is that the UT dispensation has no record of the Hindu speaking population in the UT, reflecting how this language is accorded a step motherly treatment.
Reports inform that as the government is taking series of measures for the promotion of other languages in the UT, Hindi, with a deliberate attempt is given a step-motherly treatment. Furthermore, there haven’t been any serious measures taken by the government for the wider reach of the Hindi literature and history in Jammu and Kashmir. The reasons for the same haven’t been so far revealed.
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