Report of the Official Language Commission, 1956

Dr. Rajendra Prasad – at the time the president of India – appointed the Official Language Commission on June 7, 1955, with B. G. Kher as its chairperson. (Kher was the first chief minister of the state of Bombay after Independence.) The Commission submitted its report on July 31, 1956.The Commission was asked to make recommendations on the “progressive use of the Hindi language for all official purposes of the Union,” and on restrictions on the use of English for such purposes; the form of numerals to be used; and the preparation of a time schedule according to which Hindi could gradually replace English as the government’s official language, as the medium of communication between central and state governments, and as the medium of communication between state governments.The report contains 15 chapters: an introduction (Chapter I); language in the modern world (Chapter II); linguistics in India (Chapter III); the ‘Indian language problem’ (Chapters IV and V); the ‘union language’ and education system (Chapter VI); language in public administration (Chapters VII and VIII); the language of law and courts (Chapters IX, X, XI and XII); the propagation of Hindi and regional languages (Chapter XIII); the National Language Programme (Chapter XIV); and concluding remarks (Chapter XV).