In a significant move aimed at breaking down language barriers and expanding opportunities for India’s youth, the government has announced that government job tests will now be conducted in 15 Indian languages. The decision was revealed by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions during the 14th Hindi Consultative Committee meeting attached to the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
The initiative, is a part of the ongoing efforts to promote Indian regional languages alongside the official language, Hindi. Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted notable progress made over the past nine years in this endeavor.
The newly introduced policy ensures that government job tests will now be conducted in Hindi and English, along with 13 regional languages including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Urdu, Punjabi, Manipuri (also Meiti), and Konkani.
The move is expected to open doors for countless aspirants who will now have the opportunity to take the examination in their mother tongue or preferred regional language, thus improving their chances of success.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed appreciation for the recent unveiling of the Staff Selection Commission’s format, allowing candidates to write their examinations in 15 languages. Furthermore, plans are underway to extend this initiative to cover all 22 Scheduled Languages, and several national-level exams including JEE, NEET, and UGC exams have already been made accessible in 12 Indian languages.
The minister also called for the adoption of common terminology from English and other languages to further promote the usage of Indian languages. He praised the strides made in medical education in Hindi, highlighting the launch of the first MBBS course in Hindi in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, followed by Uttarakhand’s introduction of a similar program.
Talking about the new National Education Policy (NEP) , Dr. Jitendra Singh said , “PM Modi’s vision is to provide Medical and Engineering education in regional languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, and Bengali. This marks a significant step towards making technical and medical education accessible to students across the nation,.”
In his conclusive remarks, Dr. Singh called for increased collaboration and efforts to promote Indian languages across government departments, emphasizing that the impact would be far-reaching as mindsets change and social transformation ensues.
