KTR deplores Centre's move to impose Hindi; seeks priority to regional languages

HYDERABAD: Telangana IT, Industries and Commerce Minister Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao (KTR) on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly opposing the move to make Hindi a medium of instruction in all technical and non-technical educational institutions including Central universities.

A Committee of Parliament on Official Language headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah recommended that Hindi be made the medium of instruction in the technical and non-technical educational institutes. Stating that the recommendation was unconstitutional, KTR demanded that the recommendation be withdrawn immediately.

KTR condemned the excessive priority being accorded to Hindi and English languages and said that many youths were losing employment opportunities. He accused the Prime Minister of imposing Hindi on the entire nation when only 40 percent people spoke the language. He strongly opposed Home Minister Amit Shah's recommendation that Hindi be made the medium of education in world-class institutes like IIT and NIT.

He said in the letter that the Indian Constitution had accorded official language status to 22 languages and that Hindi was not a 'national language'. In an era of globalisation, where people connect through English, he said that giving undue importance to Hindi was irrational.

KTR said that such policies of the Modi government could create serious economic and cultural disparities between the North, South and North-Eastern States.

The Minister said that most government examinations were also conducted in Hindi or English and that regional languages were completely neglected. He said that because of this, crores of youths were losing their chance of having a bright future. He demanded that all recruitment examinations be also conducted in regional languages. He said that it would be unfair to those who studied in institutions with regional languages ​​as their medium of education. KTR said that he is making this appeal to the Central Government on behalf of the youth of Telugu states who had studied in Telugu medium.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao(KCR) also previously appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct Central Government job recruitment examinations in regional languages ​​so that crores of youths studying in regional languages ​​get equal opportunities.

KTR said that more than 20 recruiting agencies conducted exams in Hindi or English and not in regional languages, thereby cutting the opportunity for lakhs of aspirants. UPSC examinations also were being conducted in just the two languages in more than 16 agencies, he said.

KTR demanded that yourths from entire India should be given the opportunity to write exams in various spheres like civil, railway, postal, defence, staff selection commission as well as NET and general studies exams in regional languages ​​along with Hindi and English.