Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution

Context (IE): There have been demands for inclusion of Kokborok and Bhojpuri languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

About Eighth Schedule

Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution lists the languages officially recognised by the Government of India.
Part XVII of the Indian Constitution (Articles 344(1) & 351) deals with the Eighth Schedule.
22 languages have been classified under the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
14 originally listed: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
Sindhi language was added by the 21st Amendment Act of 1967.
Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali were included by the 71^st Amendment Act of 1992.
Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali were added by the 92^nd Amendment Act of 2003.
English, despite its widespread use & role in official spheres, has never been part of the Eighth Schedule.
There is no fixed criteria for any language to be considered for inclusion in the Eighth Schedule.
- Ashok Pahwa Committee (1996) and Sitakant Mohapatra Committee (2003) suggested criteria for inclusion of any language in the Eighth Schedule.

Except Pali and Prakrit, all Classical Languages are listed in Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Languages listed in the Eighth Schedule are eligible for translation services in Parliament if spoken by any member.
National Sahitya Akademi recognizes the languages of the Schedule as literary languages by default.
Included as options in the Indian language paper for the UPSC examinations.
Receive developmental funds from central government, as language falls under the Concurrent List.

Set up in 1955 under Article 344(1) of the IC, which mandates its establishment by the President.
Reviews the progress of language use, makes recommendations for improvement, reports to the President, and advises on language policy.

Article 351 provides for promoting the spread of the Hindi language so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and by enriching it through assimilating into it the forms, style and expressions used in the languages specified in the Eighth Schedule.

An ancient language derived from Sanskrit, it is the mother tongue of many people in UP, Western Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan, Viveki Rai, and Bhikhari Thakur were notable Bhojpuri writers.
Bhartendu Harishchandra, Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi, and Munshi Premchand were greatly influenced by Bhojpuri literature.