Sitakant Mohapatra Committee, Recommendations, Need, Status

The Sitakant Mohapatra Committee was constituted by the Government to evolve objective criteria for considering demands for the inclusion of additional languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The issue remains relevant because India continues to receive demands for the inclusion of more languages, while no fixed criteria have been finalised for such inclusion.

About the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee

The Sitakant Mohapatra Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in September 2003 to examine the issue of language inclusion and evolve objective criteria.

• It was officially constituted as the Committee of Linguistic Experts.
• It was headed by Sitakant Mohapatra, an eminent Odia poet, scholar and former civil servant.
• Its main task was to evolve objective criteria for considering demands for inclusion of additional languages in the Eighth Schedule.
• The Committee submitted its report to the Government in 2004.

Earlier, the Government constituted the Pahwa Committee in 1996 to evolve criteria for inclusion of languages in the Eighth Schedule. Its recommendations did not result in a final framework, leading to the constitution of the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee in 2003 for a fresh attempt to develop objective criteria.

Sitakant Mohapatra Committee Need 

The Sitakant Mohapatra Committee need arose from the absence of fixed constitutional criteria for adding languages to the Eighth Schedule.

• The Eighth Schedule currently contains 22 languages and is linked to Articles 344(1) and 351 of the Constitution.
• Article 344(1) deals with the composition of the Official Language Commission, while Article 351 relates to the promotion and development of Hindi.
• The Constitution does not prescribe specific conditions that a language must satisfy for inclusion in the Eighth Schedule.

The Government therefore sought an objective basis for examining the growing demands for inclusion of additional languages.

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Sitakant Mohapatra Committee Recommendations 

The Sitakant Mohapatra Committee proposed a set of objective criteria for considering the inclusion of additional languages in the Eighth Schedule. The Government stated that the report was under consideration in consultation with the concerned departments of the Central Government, with no fixed time frame for deciding the demands. The specific criteria proposed by the Committee were not disclosed.

Why Did the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee Process Remain Inconclusive?

The process remained inconclusive because the criteria suggested by the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee faced widespread divergence of opinion among the concerned stakeholders. The Government subsequently examined the issue through further inter-ministerial consultations, but no objective criteria could be finalised. The difficulty was also compounded by the evolving nature of languages and dialects, making it challenging to establish a uniform and permanent basis for deciding inclusion in the Eighth Schedule.

Present Position on the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee

The Eighth Schedule currently contains 22 languages, and the Government continues to maintain that no fixed criteria have been laid down for inclusion of additional languages. In a 2026 parliamentary reply regarding the demand for inclusion of Gor Boli, the Government reiterated that such demands are considered in light of the evolving nature of languages and dialects, linguistic sentiments and other relevant considerations.