(a) whether it is a fact that as per census of 1961 and 1971, many of the
languages in 1961 census have been eliminated in the subsequent census
of 1971;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of languages in 1961
and 1971; and
(c) the criteria adopted to recognise the regional languages?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI R.P.N. SINGH)
(a): The office of Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India in MHA conducts
Population Census in the year ending with ‘1’ wherein data on various demographic and
socio-economic parameters including that on languages / mother tongues spoken by people
are collected. In Census 1961, name of all mother tongue returns were published
irrespective of the number of speakers. The number of mother tongue names published in
1961 Census was 1652. Out of these, 208 Mother Tongues were reported by 10,000 or more
speakers at the all-India level. Since Census 1971, in accordance with the decisions of
the Govt. of India, names of mother tongues returned by 10,000 or more speakers at the
all India level are only being published. The number of mother tongues with 10,000 or
more speakers at the all-India level, as per 1971 Census was 132.The returns in the
Census are respondent based. Hence, the question of deliberate elimination of languages /
mother tongues does not arise.
(b): The lists of languages/ mother tongues returned at Census 1961 & 1971 are attached
as Annex I & II respectively.
(c): As per the information available in the Ministry of Human Resource Development,
there is no provision of recognizing a language as a ‘regional language’ by the Government
of India of the State Governments. Hence, the question of adopting any criteria to recognize
any language as a ‘regional language’ doesn’t arise. However, the State Government may
recognize a so called regional language to be used in education as a subject/medium
or as an official language of the State if a sizeable number of people speak that language
in the concerned State or a particular area in the State. For example, the official language
of Assam is Assamese, but Bengali has been recognized as an associate official language in
three districts of Assam. In Manipur, Mao, Kom, Paite etc. are some of the languages which
are spoken at the regional/ local level and are not the official languages of Manipur have
been recognized as languages to be used in school education.
The office of Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India has also not adopted any
criteria to recognize the so called regional languages. This office only ascertains number
of languages/mother tongues as spoken in the country derived from the mother tongue returns
during decennial Census enumeration based on the following two questions canvassed in the
entire country synchronously:
i) Mother Tongue
ii) Other Languages Known
Since 1971 Census, the data on mother tongues are being presented in the form of Language
Tables under Scheduled (Part-A) and Non-Scheduled (Part-B) categories, through a process of
scrutiny, rationalization, classification following the linguistic methods and principles
as well as the existing knowledge base in the discipline.