Railway
The Official Languages Act, which provided for the continued use of English along with Hindi for official purposes of the Union, was passed by Parliament in:
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Answer: Option D — 1963
Detailed Solution
The Official Languages Act was passed by Parliament in 1963. It provided for the continued use of English, in addition to Hindi, for the official purposes of the Union and for use in Parliament, even after 1965.
Background:
- Article 343 of the Constitution made Hindi in the Devanagari script the official language of the Union.
- It provided that English would continue to be used for all official purposes for 15 years, that is, until 1965.
- It allowed Parliament to provide by law for the continued use of English after 1965.
Why the Act was needed:
- Non-Hindi-speaking states, especially in the south, were strongly opposed to the replacement of English by Hindi.
- Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru assured them that English would continue as an associate official language as long as non-Hindi-speaking people wanted it.
Section 3 of the Act:
It provided that English may continue to be used along with Hindi for the official purposes of the Union and for the transaction of business in Parliament.
Anti-Hindi agitations:
As 1965 approached, there were violent anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu (then Madras State).
Amendment of 1967:
- The Act was amended in 1967 to guarantee the indefinite use of English, until all non-Hindi-speaking states agree to give it up.
- It made the use of both Hindi and English compulsory for certain documents, such as resolutions, notifications and reports.
Official Language Resolution, 1968:
It called for a programme to promote the use of Hindi and the teaching of three languages (three-language formula).
Other provisions:
- Article 351 directs the Union to promote the spread of Hindi.
- The Committee of Parliament on Official Language reviews the progress of the use of Hindi.
Eighth Schedule:
It now contains 22 languages.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1950 is when the Constitution came into force.
- ✗1956 is the year of the reorganisation of states.
- ✗1967 is the year of an important amendment to the Act.
Quick tip
Remember: Official Languages Act = 1963 (Section 3: English continues); amended in 1967 to make English continue indefinitely.
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Languages & Scripts — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Languages & Scripts, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the languages of India, the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, classical languages, official languages of states, scripts such as Brahmi, Kharosthi and Devanagari, and the most widely spoken languages of the world. Questions often ask which languages have classical status, which language is official in a particular state, or how many languages the Eighth Schedule contains. Remember the amendments that added languages to the Eighth Schedule (for example, the 92nd Amendment added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali). Because the list of classical languages has grown over time, check the latest official count before your exam. Practise the languages and scripts questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.