Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jul 22: Demand for inclusion of Tulu and Kodava languages in the eighth schedule of the constitution is under the consideration of a committee under home ministry. Minister of state for home affairs, Kiran Rijiju, informed Rajya Sabha on Friday July 21 that the suggestions put forward by a number of leaders in both houses of the parliament for inclusion of languages in the eighth schedule are being examined by this panel.

The minister was replying to a private member's bill moved by B K Hariprasad of Congress on this matter. He said that the panel is expected to also come out with recommendations on criteria for languages to be included in the eighth schedule of the constitution.

Kiran Rijiju

"At present, the eighth schedule has listed out 22 languages that have been recognized. Demand to include 16 other languages is under consideration. Tulu and Kodava languages are among these 16. In the past, two expert panels had been formed, Pahwa committee of 1996 and Sitakanta Mohapatra committee in 2003, on this issue. Both these committees had failed to conclusively chalk out the criteria to decide about inclusion of languages in the eighth schedule," the minister explained.

The minister explained that the committee now set up by the government has an officer of the rank of additional secretary in the chair. Members have been drawn from ministries of human resources development, information and broadcasting, personnel and training, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysuru and Sahitya Akademi. The committee has been asked to spell out modalities on deciding on inclusion of languages in the eighth schedule. He pointed out that this matter had been raised in April this year at the Rajya Sabha when Congress Rajya Sabha member, oscar Fernandes, had sung a few lines in Tulu after having been urged to do so by Jairam Ramesh.