39. Urdu Text-Books There is a general complaint that some Urdu text books are not available at all, while others are not available on time. The State Governments should, ensure that all Urdu text-books are printed and made available in the market well before the beginning of the academic session. The distribution machinery of Urdu text books needs to be overhauled. The State Governments must also consider subsidising production of Urdu text-books. Besides, the Union Government should supply white printing concessional paper through the Hindustan Paper Corporation for the production of school text-books in Urdu by the State Governments. The NCERT should also ensure that their Urdu text books are available in the market at least three months before the start of an academic session.
It was brought to the notice of the Committee that syllabus is revised every five years and that there is inordinate delay in making available the new text-books to students particularly in Urdu. The Committee proposes that the revised syllabus should be ready one year before the text books are to be introduced and within this period, translation and printing of text books in all languages, particularly Urdu should be completed. (4.323 to 4.326)
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40. Crash Programme on Education A crash programme on Education for Urdu linguistic minority should be formulated for implementation within the next three years. This programme should have the following components:
(i) Education of Girls
(ii) Operation Blackboard
(iii) Non-Formal Education
(iv) Adult Education
(v) District Institutes of Education and Training.
The programme should have earmarked funds and an in-built effective monitoring mechanism.
CONSTITUTIONAL SAFEGUARDS & LEGISLATION 41. The Committee reiterates the recommendations of the Gujral Committee in respect of Constitutional Safeguards and Legislation for Urdu speakers in States and U.T.s under Article 345 of the Constitution to provide for official use of minority language or languages in the State/U.T. concerned. The recommendation at para 3.60 of the Gujral Committee Report is reproduced below:
"3.60 Our recommendations in respect of the constitutional safeguards can well be summarized as follows:
(i) the Committee recognises the genuineness of desire for effective implementation of the constitutional and administrative safeguards to the speakers of Urdu. However, it feels that the pattern of providing safeguards for the linguistic minorities
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in the State Acts on official language has been set up by the Andhra Pradesh Official Language Act, which draws authority from article 345 of the Constitution. The Committee commends it to the States and Union Territories for similar action with the further proviso that the areas and purposes(educational, administrative, judicial etc.) for which the State decides to allow the use of the language should be comprehensively specified in the Act itself. Andhra Pradesh should also take further action on the lines indicated above;
(ii) the Centre should ensure effective implementation of the safeguards for the linguistic minorities, by the States and Union Territories. The functional importance of a language lies in its use (a) as a medium of communication and education (b) in the spheres of employment and occupation (c) in administration and judiciary and the scheme of implementation has to cover all these aspects." (3.60)
42. Official Status of Urdu According to available reports, three States, viz:, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and U.P. have amended the State Official Language Acts and issued Notifications identifying the purposes where Urdu shall be officially used or used as second official language (as provided in the Bihar and U.P. laws). The Committee, however, feels that the Union Government in consultation with the
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States/UTs (and preferrably also the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities) should lay down the guidelines for uniform legislation, in respect of the official status of Urdu to be enacted by States and the Union Territories concerned.
43. There is some confusion-with regard to the application of Article 345 which lays down as follows:
"Subject to the provisions of Articles 346 and 347, the Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the States."
Article 346 deals with the language of communication between States, and, the State and the Union.
Article 347 says:
"On a demand being made in that behalf the President may, if he is satisfied that a substantial proportion of the population of a State desire the use of any language spoken by them to be recognised by that State, direct that such language shall also be officially recognised throughout that State or any part thereof for such purposes as he may specify."
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Some legal experts say that Article 345 makes the legislative action subject to the provisions of Article 347 and therefore subject to President's Directives. The State Legislature cannot do it on its own.
The Committee is of the opinion that the President can give a directive only on a demand being made in this regard. And a demand shall be made to him only when the State Government fails to meet the needs.
Again some experts say "Substantial proportion of the population of a State" should make the demand. This they say should be 20% and not less than 15% of the whole State.
44. The Committee differs from this view and accepts the recommendation of the Gujral Committee which has recommended 10%.
The official use of a language is at three levels:
(a) in the inter-departmental communication at the State administration level. It would be official language of the State concerned or English;
(b) in inter-State or State-Centre correspondence; Article 346 of the Constitution has settled this issue
and
(c) in situations where State has to communicate with the people or vice-versa. This could be at the State, the District or the local level. It is here that legislation under Article 345 of the Constitution is needed.
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The Committee feels that the use of any language for "all or any" official purposes "Throughout the State or any part thereof" will depend on the concentration and the spread of the population speaking the particular language and not its strength taken in the State as a whole.
45.Minimum Purposes for Official use of Urdu The Committee recommends that the minimum purposes for official use of minority language should be those recommended by the Anjuman Taraqqui-e-Urdu, Andhra Pradesh, for areas where at least 10% of the population has claimed Urdu as its principal language vide Appendix XII of Gujral Committee Report.
46. Use of Urdu in Municipal areas and other Local Bodies In Municipal areas and other local bodies with 30% or more of Urdu speaking population, local administration should be carried out in both the languages, that is, the official language of the State and Urdu.
47. Review of State Laws The existing State Laws should be reviewed and amended to provide: (a) guidelines for the executive to identify the official purposes and areas for use of Urdu: and (b) mechanism to oversee their implementation. (3.55 to 3.58)
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48. Official Language Commissions Official Language Commissions should be set up in all States on the lines of such Commissions established in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The jurisdiction of these Commissions should be extended to include the supervision of the official use of minority language or languages. One representative of Urdu speaking minority should be included in the Commissions.
49.Appointment of Special Officers In the General Administration Department of the State Government which is generally under the Chief Minister, an Urdu knowing officer of the status of a Joint Secretary should be appointed to look into the non-implementation or malimplementation of different recommendations and take remedial steps enumerated in para 5.254 of the Gujral Committee Report. An Urdu knowing Joint Director in the State Education Department should be appointed in States with a Sizeable Urdu speaking population. (4.329, 5.254)
50. Translation of Laws, Rules and Regulations The Committee endorses the recommendations of Gujral Committee with regard to translation of Laws, Rules and Regulations. The Committee was informed that till date 222 Central Acts have already been translated into Urdu, out of which 204 have been approved by the Working Group of the Official Languages Wing, Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law. It was also intimated that none of these have been published so far.
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The Committee feels that the publication of those Central Acts which have already been translated and approved should be expedited on priority basis with the assistance of voluntary organisations, if necessary. The Committee further recommends that Translation Cells should be set up in the States to translate State Laws, Gazettes, Notifications etc., and wherever such Translation Cells already exist, they should be strengthened. (5.77)
51. Representations in Urdu It is generally complained that applications and representations in Urdu are not either entertained or if they are accepted, they are not answered in Urdu. In some States like Uttar Pradesh, the Hindi translation is demanded alongwith the Urdu representation.
In Bihar, Translation Cells have been set up at all levels of State machinery, but the applications in Urdu are not encouraged or replied to in Urdu.
The Committee feels that the Gujral Committee recommendation (5.98) in this regard which has not been implemented so far should be implemented immediately. Arrangements must be made in administrative units where the Urdu speaking population constitutes 10% or more, to receive, process and give replies in Urdu to all applications and representations made in Urdu. Translation Cells with competent translators should be set up for the purpose. (5.98)
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52. Learning of Urdu by Officials The Committee reiterates Gujral Committee recommendations (5.100, 5.101 and 5.111) regarding the learning of Urdu by officials. The Committee is firmly of the view that adequate translation facilities should be provided in the offices and incentives should be given to officials in the form of additional salary or advance increment to learn atleast one miniority language of the State. In the Hindi speaking areas, officers should be persuaded to acquire knowledge of Urdu also. Officers working in areas, where there are 10% or more of Urdu speaking population should be encouraged to learn Urdu. (5.100, 5.101 and 5.111).
53. Urdu in Courts It was brought to the notice of the Committee that Urdu is not being used in Courts in spite of the recommendation of Gujral Committee (5.160). The Committee recommends that the facilities must, therefore, be provided in the lower courts for the use of Urdu in areas where Urdu speaking population is 10% or more. This would mean the provision of facilities for presentation of petitions and documents and the recording of evidence in Urdu and the translation of documents in Urdu by appointment of efficient translators. (5.160)
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54. Urdu in Legislature The Committee recommends that in accordance with the Gujral Committee recommendation (5.175), the Central Government should convene a meeting of Chief Ministers and Speakers of the various State Legislatures to formulate the appropriate guidelines for the use of Urdu in the Legislatures, publication of agenda papers, presentation of bills etc.and for recording in Urdu the speeches delivered in Urdu. (5.175)
55. Electoral Rolls The Election Commission has intimated that Urdu is at present used for preparation of electoral rolls in respect of certain constituencies in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. According to the criteria fixed by Election Commission electoral rolls of each constituency are prepared in the minority language of the constituency only if its linguistic minority constitutes 20% or more of the total population of the constituency. The question of lowering of percentage from 20 to 10 was considered in the Conference of Chief Electoral Officers held in 1980. It was, however decided that the criteria should not be lowered to 10%. The principal argument in favour of this decision was that very few copies of such electoral rolls were sold and that the cost realised through sale was much lower than the expenditure incurred.
This Committee reiterates the recommendation of the Gujral Committee that electoral rolls should be prepared in Urdu in all constituencies where Urdu speaking population is 10% or more.
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This Committee further feels that any argument not to accept this recommendation on economic grounds would go against the very spirit of the safeguards for linguistic minorities. (5.179)
56.State Public Service Commission It has been brought to the notice of this Committee that even though the Union Public Service Commission allows the candidates to answer papers for General Knowledge and Optional subjects in Urdu, the State Public Service Commissions do not extend this facility. The Committee recommends that the State Public Service Commissions should extend the facility of answering papers for General knowledge and optional subjects in Urdu on the lines of the Union Public Service Commission to Urdu speaking linguistic minorities in the States concerned. (5.185)
57. Post and Telegraph The Committee noted that Gujral Committee's recommendations have not been implemented by the Post and Telegraph Department and recommends that in all areas where Urdu speaking population is 10% or more, the names of the Post Offices must be displayed in Urdu. VPP and Money Order Forms should be printed in Urdu and registered letters and parcels with addresses in Urdu should be accepted and proper arrangements made for their delivery. For this purpose, Urdu knowing staff should be appointed or the existing staff encouraged to acquire a working knowledge of Urdu. (5.186 to 5.194)
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58. Railways The Committee noted that the the Gujral Committee, recommendations concerning Railways have not been implemented by the Railway authorities.
The Committee, therefore, recommends that names of Railway Stations located in areas where Urdu speaking population is 10% or more should be displayed in Urdu also.
With regard to the printing of Railway Time Table in Urdu it was brought to the notice of the Committee that quite some time back Railway Time Table was brought out in Urdu also. But it was not available to general public. The suggestion that private publishers should be given all assistance by the Railway Board to publish Railway Time Table in Urdu has also not materialised. This Committee feels that the Railway Board may consider offering some subsidy to voluntary agencies in this regard. This has to be looked into and Railway Time Table brought out in Urdu immediately. (5.195, 5.197)
59. Sign Boards and Name Plates Gujral Committee's suggestion (5.199) that milestones, roads, streets, lanes should bear the names in Urdu in addition to English, Hindi and the regional language and that the name plates of officers and doctors should also be displayed in Urdu should be implemented so as not to place the Urdu speaking population at a disadvantage particularly in areas where their population is 10% or more. (5.198,5.199)
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60. Media of Mass Communication
All India Radio Gujral Committee's recommendations regarding All India Radio have been implemented, by and large, at the Centre. However, the recommendation (5.214) regarding the appointment of Urdu knowing Producers/Asstt. Producers in areas where there is a sizeable population of Urdu speakers has not been implemented. The Committee feels that this recommendation is vital for presenting Urdu Programmes and improving their quality. Accordingly, it should be implemented without delay. The secular character of festivals of various communities should be brought out by presenting these in Urdu programmes. Gujral Committee's recommendation concerning broadcasting the developmental features and national programmes in Urdu should be fully implemented. The Committee also recommends that the duration and frequency of all the programmes in Urdu should be suitably increased. The quality of the cultural programmes in Urdu, particularly the Mushairais, should also be improved. The National Programme of plays and features should include Urdu plays and features on a more liberal scale. Slow Speed News Bulletins in Urdu should also be started. (5.214, 5.215, 5.217, 5.224)