Demand for inclusion of Bhojpuri and Rajasthani in eighth schedule, pending: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Aug.30 (ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said in Parliament today that presently demands for inclusion of 38 more languages including Bhojpuri and Rajasthani in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution were pending.

The report of the committee under the Chairmanship of Shri Sitakant Mohapatra to evolve a set of objective criteria for inclusion of more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India is under consideration in consultation with the concerned departments of the Central Government.

He added a decision on the pending demands for inclusion of languages in the Eighth Schedule including Bhojpuri and Rajasthani will be taken, inter-alia, in the light of the recommendations of the Committee and Government's decision thereon.

No time frame can be fixed for consideration of the demands for inclusion of more languages in Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India".

t present, 22 languages have been included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India. Of these, 14 languages were initially included in the Constitution. Sindhi language was included in 1967. Thereafter, three more languages viz., Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were included in the year 1992.

Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali languages were added in the year 2004.

"The basis for inclusion of these languages in the Eighth Schedule were the circumstances and demands of the people, existing at that point of time," Mr. Chidambaram said. (ANI)