View source for Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India

{{short description|Lists the official languages of the Republic of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Indian Constitution TOC}}

The '''Eighth Schedule''' to the [[Constitution of India]] lists the [[Languages of India|languages]] officially recognized by the [[Government of India]]. {{As of|2024}}, 22 languages have been classified under the schedule. 

== Definition ==
As per the [[Constitution of India]], the provisions belonging to the eight schedule are defined in articles 344(1) and 351. Article 344(1) defined a set of 14 regional languages which were represented in the [[Official Languages Commission]] and Article 351 deals with the promotion of usage of [[Hindi]] by [[Government of India]], which was declared as an official language. [[English language|English]] was declared as an additional official language to be used for a period not exceeding 15 years. The commission was to suggest steps to be taken to progressively promote the use of Hindi as the official language of the country.<ref name="Constitution">{{cite web|title=Constitution of India, Eighth schedule|url=https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/Eighth_Schedule.pdf|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>

== Official Languages Act, 1963 ==
{{Main|Official Languages Act, 1963}}
The Official Languages Act, 1963 which came into effect on 26 January 1965, made provisions for the continuation of English as an official language alongside Hindi in official communications after the expiration of the fifteen year period.<ref>{{cite act|title=Official Languages Act|year=1963|url=https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/1526/1/A1963__19.pdf|legislature=[[Parliament of India]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963 {{!}} Department of Official Language {{!}} Ministry of Home Affairs {{!}} GoI |url=https://rajbhasha.gov.in/en/official-languages-act-1963 |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=rajbhasha.gov.in}}</ref>

On 18 January 1968, the Official Language Resolution was passed by the [[Parliament of India]] which further mandated the development and promotion of all the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule. As per the resolution, the Government of India was obligated to take measures for the development of the languages defined in the eighth schedule.<ref>{{cite act|title=Official Languages Resolution|year=1968|url=https://rajbhasha.gov.in/en/official-language-resolution-1968|legislature=[[Parliament of India]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE RESOLUTION, 1968|url=https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s30f46c64b74a6c964c674853a89796c8e/uploads/2024/05/202409201128764337.pdf|website=DGDE|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Initial list (1950) ===
The original Eighth Schedule in 1950 included 14 languages:
{{Div col|colwidth=11em}}
* [[Assamese language|Assamese]] 
* [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
* [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
* [[Hindi]]
* [[Kannada]]
* [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] 
* [[Malayalam]]
* [[Marathi language|Marathi]]
* [[Odia language|Odia]]{{efn|Renamed Odia in 2011.}}
* [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] 
* [[Sanskrit]]
* [[Tamil language|Tamil]] 
* [[Telugu language|Telugu]]
* [[Urdu]]
{{div col end}}

=== Additions through constitutional amendments ===
As of 2026, subsequent amendments have added eight additional languages:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amendments to the Official Language of India |url=https://www.drishtijudiciary.com/to-the-point/ttp-constitution-of-india/amendments-to-the-official-language-of-india |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Drishti Judiciary}}</ref>
* 21st Amendment (1967): [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] was added as the 15th language.
* 71st Amendment (1992): [[Konkani language|Konkani]], [[Manipuri language|Manipuri]], and [[Nepali language|Nepali]] were included, increasing the total to 18 languages.
* 92nd Amendment (2003): Four languages: [[Boro language (India)|Bodo]], [[Dogri language|Dogri]], [[Santali language|Santali]], and [[Maithili language|Maithili]], were added, raising the total number to 22 languages.
* 96th Amendment (2011): Oriya was renamed Odia.

== Scheduled languages ==
The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution defined 14 languages in 1950:<ref>{{cite web|title=The Constitution of India|url=https://lddashboard.legislative.gov.in/sites/default/files/COI...pdf|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref>  [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi]], [[Kannada]], [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]], [[Malayalam]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Odia language|Odia]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]] and [[Urdu]].<ref name="Eight">{{cite web|title=Eighth Schedule|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/Images/pdf1/S8.pdf|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=5 December 2023}}</ref>
In 1967, the [[Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution of India|21st amendment]] to the constitution added [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] to the Eighth Schedule.
The [[Seventy-first Amendment of the Constitution of India|71st Amendment]], enacted in 1992, added three more languages: [[Konkani language|Konkani]], [[Meitei language|Manipuri]] and [[Nepali language|Nepali]].
In 2003, the [[Ninety-second Amendment of the Constitution of India|92nd Amendment]] added [[Bodo language|Bodo]], [[Dogri language|Dogri]], [[Santali language|Santali]] and [[Maithili language|Maithili]], raising the total number of languages to 22.<ref name="Eight"/>
In 2011, the spelling Oriya was changed to Odia by 96th amendment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://1drv.ms/b/s!AoSY7m8bBHQlkxFE7SoviMzbdFto?e=7dAUv8|title=The Constitution (Ninety-Sixth Amendment) Act, 2011 |publisher=eGazette of India|access-date=23 September 2011}}</ref>

{{As of|2025}}, the following languages are recognized under the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India:

{{sort under}}{{Table alignment}}{{row hover highlight}}
{| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers static-row-header-text defaultleft col2center col3center hover-highlight" 
!Language<ref name="Constitution"/>
!Speakers<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf|title=Abstract of Speakers' Strength of Languages and Mother Tongues – 2011|publisher=[[Government of India]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627064326/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf|archive-date=27 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><br /><small>(millions,&nbsp;2011)</small>
!Year included<ref name="Eight"/>
!Official Script in India
![[Language family]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/IN/|title=Indian languages|work=[[Ethnologue]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>
![[States and union territories of India|States/UTs]] where official<ref name="lang">{{cite report|url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf|title=Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 50th report (July 2012 to June 2013) |publisher=Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, [[Ministry of Minority Affairs]], [[Government of India]]|access-date=14 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708012438/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |archive-date= 8 July 2016 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Assamese language|Assamese]]
|15.3
|rowspan="2"|1950
|rowspan="2"|[[Bengali–Assamese script|Bengali–Assamese]]
|rowspan="2"|[[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]]
|[[Assam]]
|-
|[[Bengali language|Bengali]]
|97.2
| style='text-align:left;' | Assam, [[West Bengal]], [[Tripura]], [[Jharkhand]]
|-
|[[Bodo language|Bodo]]
|1.48
|rowspan="2"|2003
|rowspan="2"|[[Devanagari]]
|[[Sino-Tibetan]]
|Assam
|-
|[[Dogri language|Dogri]]
|2.6
|rowspan="3"|Indo-Aryan
|[[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
|-
|[[Gujarati language|Gujarati]]
|55.5
|rowspan="4"|1950
|[[Gujarati script|Gujarati]]
|[[Gujarat]]
|-
|[[Hindi]]
|528
|Devanagari
|[[Bihar]], [[Chhattisgarh]], [[Delhi]], [[Haryana]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Madhya Pradesh]],  [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[Uttarakhand]].
|-
|[[Kannada]]
|43.7
|[[Kannada script|Kannada]]
|[[Dravidian language|Dravidian]]
|[[Karnataka]]
|-
|[[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]
|6.8
|[[Perso-Arabic script|Perso-Arabic]]
|rowspan="3"|Indo-Aryan
|Jammu and Kashmir
|-
|[[Konkani language|Konkani]]
|2.25
|1992
|Devanagari
|[[Goa]]
|-
|[[Maithili language|Maithili]]
|13.6
|2003
|[[Tirhuta script|Tirhuta]]
|[[Bihar]], [[Jharkhand]]
|-
|[[Malayalam]]
|34.8
|1950
|[[Malayalam script|Malayalam]]
|Dravidian
|[[Kerala]], [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]], [[Lakshadweep]]
|-
|[[Manipuri language|Manipuri]]
|1.8
|1992
|[[Meitei script|Meitei]]
|Sino-Tibetan
|[[Manipur]]
|-
|[[Marathi language|Marathi]]
|83
|1950
|rowspan="1"|[[Balbodh|Devanagari]]
|rowspan="5"|Indo-Aryan
|Goa, [[Maharashtra]]
|-
|[[Nepali language|Nepali]]
|2.9
|1992
|rowspan="1"|[[Devanagari]]
|[[Sikkim]], West Bengal
|-
|[[Odia language|Odia]]
|37.5
|rowspan="3"|1950
|[[Odia script]]
|[[Odisha]], Jharkhand, West Bengal
|-
|[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
|33.1
|[[Gurmukhi]]
|Delhi, Haryana, [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], West Bengal
|-
|[[Sanskrit]]
|0.02
|[[Devanagari]]
|Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand
|-
|[[Santali language|Santali]]
|7.6
|2003
|[[Ol Chiki]]
|[[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]]
|Jharkhand, West Bengal
|-
|[[Sindhi language|Sindhi]]
|2.7
|1967
|[[Devanagari]] and [[Perso-Arabic]]
|Indo-Aryan
|None
|-
|[[Tamil language|Tamil]]
|69
|rowspan="3"|1950
|[[Tamil script|Tamil]]
|rowspan="2"|Dravidian
|Puducherry, [[Tamil Nadu]]
|-
|[[Telugu language|Telugu]]
|81.1
|[[Telugu script|Telugu]]
|[[Andhra Pradesh]], Puducherry, [[Telangana]], West Bengal
|-
|[[Urdu]]
|50.7
|Perso-Arabic
|Indo-Aryan
|Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
|}

== Demands for expansion ==
In 2003, a committee was established by [[Government of India]], to study the possible inclusion of more languages to the schedule. As per the [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]], there are demands for inclusion of 38 more languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. These are:<ref name="Constitution"/>

{{Div col|colwidth=11em}}
*[[Angami language|Angami]]
*[[Angika]]
*[[Bajjika]]
*[[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]]
*[[Bundeli language|Bundeli]]
*[[Chhattisgarhi language|Chhattisgarhi]]
*[[Dhatki language|Dhatki]]
*[[English language|English]] 
*[[Garhwali language|Garhwali]]
*[[Gondi language|Gondi]]
*[[Gujari language|Gujjari]] 
*[[Himachali language|Pahadi]]
*[[Ho language|Ho]]
*[[Kachhi language|Kachhi]]
*[[Kamtapuri language|Kamtapuri]]
*[[Karbi language|Karbi]]
*[[Khasi language|Khasi]]
*[[Kodava language|Kodava]]
*[[Kokborok language|Kokborok]]
*[[Kumaoni language|Kumaoni]]
*[[Kurmali language|Kurmali]]<ref> [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bengal-seeks-eighth-schedule-status-for-rajbanshi-kurmali-languages/articleshow/128622953.cms][https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/kolkata/bengal-seeks-eighth-schedule-status-for-rajbanshi-and-kurmali-languages-prnt/cid/2148510][https://www.sangbadpratidin.in/bengal/nabanna-appeals-to-include-kurmali-and-rajabansi-languages-to-eighth-schedule/pid/1130268/]</ref>
*[[Kurukh language|Kurukh]]
*[[Ladakhi language|Ladakhi]]
*[[Lambadi|Banjara]]
*[[Lepcha language|Lepcha]]
*[[Limbu language|Limbu]]
*[[Magahi language|Magahi]]
*[[Mizo language|Mizo]]
*[[Mundari language|Mundari]]
*[[Nagpuri language|Sadri]]
*[[Nicobarese language|Nicobarese]]
*[[Pali]]
*[[Rajasthani language|Rajasthani]]<ref>The Rajasthan State Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution in August 2003 advocating for the recognition of Rajasthani and its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. [https://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2013/Jul/21/rajasthani-rears-its-head-for-eighth-schedule-recognition-498872.html]</ref>
*[[Rajbanshi people|Rajbanshi]]<ref> [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bengal-seeks-eighth-schedule-status-for-rajbanshi-kurmali-languages/articleshow/128622953.cms][https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/kolkata/bengal-seeks-eighth-schedule-status-for-rajbanshi-and-kurmali-languages-prnt/cid/2148510][https://www.sangbadpratidin.in/bengal/nabanna-appeals-to-include-kurmali-and-rajabansi-languages-to-eighth-schedule/pid/1130268/]</ref>
*[[Sambalpuri Language|Sambalpuri]]
*[[Saraiki Language|Saraiki]]
*[[Shauraseni Prakrit]]
*[[Sikkimese language|Sikkimese]]
*[[Tulu language|Tulu]]{{div col end}}

== Arguments regarding expansion ==

=== Arguments for inclusion ===

* Cultural preservation: Many communities argue that inclusion in the Eighth Schedule would help preserve and promote their [[cultural heritage]] and linguistic identity.<ref>{{cite conference |last=Varadharaj |first=Haripriya |title=Promoting Multilingualism and Cultural Diversity in National Education Policy |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375894955 |conference=National Conference on Promoting Multilingualism and Cultural Diversity in National Education Policy |isbn=978-93-94004-25-2 |year=2023}}</ref>
* Administrative recognition: Inclusion grants official recognition, ensuring the use of these languages in government administration and education.
* Increased resources: Inclusion allows for funding and resources to be allocated for the development and promotion of the language.

=== Arguments against inclusion ===

* Administrative complexity: Recognizing too many languages could complicate governance, translation, and communication.
* Dilution of resources: Increased inclusion could divert resources and attention from the development of existing languages.
* Politicization of language: Inclusion may encourage regional and political pressures, leading to disputes over linguistic priorities.

==See also==
* [[Nepali Language Recognition Day]]
* [[Languages of India]]
* [[Sikkim]] 
* [[Public holidays in India]]
* [[Language movement (disambiguation)]]

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Languages of India}}

[[Category:Languages of India]]
[[Category:Schedules to the Constitution of India|8]]