India plans more Hindi in offices and universities but southern states push back

The proposal to increase the official use of Hindi has received strong pushback from leaders of states in the east and south. PHOTO: REUTERS
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

BENGALURU - The government of India, a country that recognises 22 official languages, is making a controversial push to expand the use of Hindi in education and official communication.

The proposal to increase the official use of Hindi, spoken by 528 million people in large parts of northern and central India, has received strong pushback from leaders of states in the east and south where other languages such as Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali are spoken.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.