📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Janeklass
Education
Chhattisgarhi Language Gains Momentum for Eighth Schedule Inclusion After 70‑Year Campaign
✍️ Deccan Chronicle
🗓 10 Sep 2026, 03:32 AM
👁 4
After a seven‑decade struggle, language activists and state officials are renewing their demand to have Chhattisgarhi listed in the Constitution’s Eighth Schedule.
The Chhattisgarhi language, spoken by millions in central India, has entered a fresh phase of advocacy for constitutional recognition. After more than 70 years of petitions, meetings and cultural campaigns, state representatives and language activists have jointly appealed to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to consider its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule, which earmarks official languages.
Proponents argue that formal recognition would safeguard the language’s literary heritage, promote its use in education and administration, and affirm the cultural identity of Chhattisgarh’s populace. They point to recent surveys showing robust speaker numbers and growing demand for Chhattisgarhi medium instruction in schools.
The renewed push follows a series of consultations held in the state capital, where experts highlighted the disparity between the language’s widespread use and its absence from the constitutional list. While the final decision rests with the central government and the Parliament’s language committee, the latest advocacy is being described as the most organized effort since the movement began in the 1950s.
If approved, Chhattisgarhi would join 21 other languages that enjoy official status, potentially unlocking central funding for language development programs and enabling its use in official documents and examinations.
Stakeholders have urged the government to act promptly, emphasizing that recognition would not only preserve linguistic diversity but also strengthen regional development initiatives tied to language education.
Proponents argue that formal recognition would safeguard the language’s literary heritage, promote its use in education and administration, and affirm the cultural identity of Chhattisgarh’s populace. They point to recent surveys showing robust speaker numbers and growing demand for Chhattisgarhi medium instruction in schools.
The renewed push follows a series of consultations held in the state capital, where experts highlighted the disparity between the language’s widespread use and its absence from the constitutional list. While the final decision rests with the central government and the Parliament’s language committee, the latest advocacy is being described as the most organized effort since the movement began in the 1950s.
If approved, Chhattisgarhi would join 21 other languages that enjoy official status, potentially unlocking central funding for language development programs and enabling its use in official documents and examinations.
Stakeholders have urged the government to act promptly, emphasizing that recognition would not only preserve linguistic diversity but also strengthen regional development initiatives tied to language education.