 ANDHRA PRADESH OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
 ACT-A BILL TO PROVIDE, FOR THE
 ADOPTION OF THE TELUGU LANGUAGE AS THE LANGUAGE TO BE USED FOR 
THE OFFICIAL PURPOSES OF THE STATE
 OF ANDHRA PRADESH AND FOR THE

BE it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Andhra Pradesh in the 'Seventeenth Year of the Republic of India as follows :-

Short title and extent

1. (1) This Act may be called the Andhra Pradesh Official Language Act, 1966.

(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Andhra Pradesh.

Telugu to be the official language of the State.

2. The official language of the State of Andhra Pradesh shall be Telugu.

Government's power to notify the official Purposes for which Telugu to be used.

3. (1) The State Government, from time to time, by notification in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette, direct that the Telugu language shall be used for such official purposes of the State and from such dates as may be specified in the notification.

(2) The language to be used-

(i) (a) in all Bills to be introduced or amendments thereto to be moved, in either House of the Legislature of the State and in all Acts passed by the Legislature of the State ;

(b) in all Ordinances promulgated by the Governor of the State under article 213 of the Constitution and in all the Regulations made by him under paragraph 5 of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution;

(ii) in all orders, rules, regulations and bye-laws, issued by the State Government or other authority or officer of the State Government under the Constitution or under any law made by Parliament or the Legislature of the State shall be Telugu language on and from such date as the State Government may, by notification in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette, specify;

Provided that the State Government may specify different dates in respect of different items in clauses (i) and (ii) of this subsection.

Continuance of English language for certain official purposes of the State and for use in the Legislature.

4. Until the State Government otherwise direct by notification under section 3-

(i) The English language shall continue to be used for those official purposes within the State for which it was being used immediately before the commencement of this Act; and

(ii) The English language may continue to be used for the transaction of the business in the Legislature of the State.

Commission on official language.

5. (1) The State Government shall, at the expiration of five years from the commencement of this act, by order constitute a Commission on official language of the State which shall consist of a Chairman and four other members to be appointed by the State Government and the order shall define the procedure to be followed by the Commission.

(2) it shall be the duty of the Commission to reveiw the progress made in the use of the Telugu language for the official purposes of the State-and to make recommendations to the State Governments as to:-

(a) the progressive use of the Telugu language for the official purposes of the State

(b) restriction on the use of the English language for any of the official purposes of the State;

(3) The Commission shall submit a report with its recommendations on the matters referred to in sub-section (2) to the State Government, who shall cause the report to be laid before each House of the State Legislature.

(4) The State Government may, after consideration of the recommendations in the report so made by the commission, issue directions in accordance with the whole or any part of that report.

Authorised Telugu translation of Central and State Acts, etc.

6. (1) A translation in the Telugu language published under the authority of the Governor in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette on and after the date 'specified by notification :-

(i) in respect of clause (1) of sub-section 3, of any Central Act or any Ordinance promulgated by the President, with respect to any of the matters enumerated in List III of the Seventh Schedule

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to the Consitution, or of any State Act or of any Regulation made by the Governor, or of any other law in force in the State; or

(ii) In respect of clause (ii) of sub-section (2) of section 3, of any order, rule, regulation or bye-law issued by the State Government or other authority or officer of the State Government under the Constitution or under any Central Act, or any State Act or any other law in force in the State,

shall be deemed to be the authoritative text thereof in the Telugu language.

(2) Where the State Government have issued a notification under clause (i) (a) of sub-section (2) of Section 3 specifying a date from which the Telugu language shall be used in all Bills introduced in and amendments thereto be moved in, and Acts passed by the State Legislature, the authoritative text in the Telugu language of all such Bills which amend Acts which are in English, to be introduced or amendments thereto to be moved, in either House of the State Legislature shall be accompanied by a translation of the same in the English language.

Special provision relating to the use of Urdu or any other language or languages, in addition to the Telugu language, certain areas of the State for such periods as may be specified by notification.

7. The State Governement may, from time to time, by notification in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette, direct use of Urdu or any other language or languages, in addition to the Telugu language, in the interests of persons speaking such language or languages, in such areas and for such official purposes of the State and for such periods, as may be specified in the notification.

Power to make rules.

8. (1) The State Government may, by notification in the Andhra Pradesh Gazette, make rules for carrying out all or any of the purposes of this Act.

(2) Every notification issued or rule made under this Act shall, immediately after it is issued or made, be laid before each House of the State Legislature if it is in session, and if it is not in session, in the session immediately following for, a total period of fourteen days which may be comprised in one session or in two successive sessions, and if, before the expiration of the session in which it is so laid or the session immediately following, both Houses agree in making any modification in the notification or rule or in the annulment of the notification or rule, the notification or rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or shall stand annulled, as the case may be, so however that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that notification or rule.

Repeal of Andhra Pradesh Act 16 of 1964

9. The Andhra Pradesh State Legislature (Continuance of the English language) Act, 1964 is hereby repeated.

Statement of objects and reasons

Article 345 of the Constitution of India enacts that 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 State, subject to the provisions of articles 346 and 347. It has been the desire of the general public, the members of the State Legislature and the State Government that all official business should be transacted in the Telugu language in this State as early as possible. The Government directed in 1948, as an experimental measure, that all official correspondence in the East Godavari District be carried on in Telugu. After the formation of the Andhra Pradesh State, the Government introduced Telugu as medium of correspondence with the public in the officers at the Taluk level and below, in twenty four departments in all the districts of the State. The Government now propose to extend the scheme to other levels and other departments also. The policy of the Government is to introduce Telugu for official correspondence in the Government offices of the State progressively and by practicable stages without impairing efficiency or pace of disposal of business.

This Bill, which is intended to give effect to the above object, adopts Telugu as the official language of the State, and provides that the Telugu language shall be used in respect of such official purposes of the State as may be specified by notification from time to time. It also provides that the language to be used in all Bills introduced in the Legislature, Acts passed by the Legislature, ordinances promulgated and the Regulations made by the Governor and in the orders, rules, regulations and bye-laws issued by the State Government or other authority or officer of the State Government shall be Telugu from such date as may be specified by the State Government. It further provides that until the State Government otherwise direct by notification-

(a) the English language shall continue to be used for those official purposes within the State for which it was being used immediately before the commencement of this measure, and

(b) the English language may continue to be used for the transaction of business in the Legislature of the State and repeals the Andhra Pradesh State Legislature (Continuance of the English language) Act, 1964.

It is also proposed to constitute a commission on official language to review the progress made in the use of Telugu for the official purposes of the State and to recommend to the Government as to the progressive use of the Telugu Language for the official purposes of the State and the restrictions on the use of the English Language for all or any of the official purposes of the State, etc. Power is proposed to be conferred on the Government to issue directions in accordance with the report submitted by the Commissio. The report will be laid before each House of the State Legislature.

The Bill also provides that the Telugu translation of Acts and other laws in English published under the authority of the Governor shall be deemed to be the authoritative text of those laws in Telugu.

It is also proposed to confer power on the Government to direct, by notification, the use of Urdu or any other language or languages, in addition to the Telugu language, in the interests of persons speaking such language or languages, in such areas and for such official purposes of the State and for such periods as may be specified in the notification.

K. Brahmananda Reddy

Chief Minister

Memorandum regarding delegated legislation

Clause 3 of the Bill empowers the Government to notify the official purposes for which the Telugu language shall be used. It also enables the Government to specify, by notification, the date from which the Telugu language shall be used in Bills, Acts, Ordinances Regulations, orders, rules and bye-laws.

Clause 5 of the Bill empowers the Government to constitute a Commission on official language at the expiration of five years from the commencement of the measure to review the progress made in the use of the Telugu language etc.

Clause 7 of the Bill empowers the Government to direct, by notification, the use of Urdu or any other language or languages in addition to the Telugu language, in such areas and for such official purposes of the State and for such periods, as may be specified in such notification.

Clause 8 of the Bill empowers the Government to make rules for carrying out the purposes of the Bill. The notifications and rules made by the Government are subject to the scrutiny by the-Legislature.

The Provisions of the Bill regarding delegated legislation are thus of a normal type.

ANDHRA PRADESH OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ACT-A BILL TO PROVIDE, FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE TELUGU LANGUAGE AS THE LANGUAGE TO BE USED FOR THE OFFICIAL PURPOSES OF THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH AND FOR THE