Srinagar: The official websites of various departments of the Jammu and Kashmir government and its related portals are being made trilingual to promote the Hindi language, and to ensure inclusivity and wider accessibility, the assembly was informed here on Tuesday.
In a written reply to BJP MLA from Udhampur East, Ranbir Singh Pathania, about the present status of the implementation of “The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020”, which recognises Hindi as one of the official languages of J-K, the government said several measures have been implemented to ensure the use of Hindi for official purposes.
“All official correspondences received in Hindi are properly replied and responded in bilingual form – Hindi and English,” the minister in-charge said.
The minister said the report of a committee constituted in 2022 for devising a comprehensive roadmap for identifying areas within J&K where official languages viz. Hindi, Kashmiri, Urdu, Dogri and English be notified for the use in official purposes, has also been submitted for acceptance, pending consideration on account of some clarifications sought by the Finance Department.
On a question about the steps taken or being taken to promote the use of Hindi in government offices, the government said several key steps have been taken to promote use of Hindi.
“A comprehensive database of existing language cells in different administrative departments and other government offices is being prepared to assess their functionality, staffing and linguistic practices so that a baseline foundation for further strengthening of language for official business is ensured,” it said.
The e-office system operational across all government offices also provides an inbuilt software for writing ready references in Hindi for standard templates and correspondence modules, thereby facilitating gradual adoption of Hindi in official communication, it added.
The J&K government said the official websites of its Departments and other related portals are being made trilingual, offering the users the option to view content in Hindi, Urdu and English, ensuring inclusivity and wider accessibility.
It also said efforts were underway to explore and prepare training modules and to organise sensitisation workshops by J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, in collaboration with other departments and universities etc, to enhance the practical use of the official languages, including Hindi, in daily official correspondence.
The minister in-charge said gradual establishment of dedicated sections of official languages, including Hindi, in all public libraries is also being done.
To another question about whether the recruitment rules in Jammu and Kashmir now mandate proficiency in Hindi alongside English and Urdu for appointment in the government services, the reply said the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020 shall be incorporated as per specific requirements of the service to which appointment is to be made.
Asked about the reasons for the delay in the effective implementation of the provisions relating to Hindi under the Act, the minister in-charge said the implementation of a multi-lingual administrative system requires coordination across departments, standardisation of formats, trained manpower and official friendly multilingual software.
The government is taking steps to strengthen the administrative, technological and awareness mechanisms for the effective official use of all official languages, including Hindi, the minister added.
To the MLA’s query on whether the government contemplates to set-up a dedicated board or academy for the promotion of Sanskrit in the UT on the analogy of institutions established in other states, the government said it will be considered in due course of time.
“The establishment of dedicated boards or academies for the promotion of Sanskrit or any other language shall be taken into consideration in due course of time with the requirement commensurate with the strength of the aspiring students in the particular subject in due course of time. The government fully supports such initiatives aimed at promoting classical languages including Sanskrit,” it added.
