Functions of the Department of Official Language

The Department of Official Language was established as an independent department under the Ministry of Home Affairs in June 1975 to ensure the implementation of the constitutional and statutory provisions relating to the Official Language and to promote the progressive use of Hindi in the official work of the Union Government. Since its inception, the Department has been consistently working towards increasing the use of Hindi in the official functioning of the Government of India.

Functions Assigned under the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961

The Department of Official Language has been entrusted with the following functions:

1
Implementation of the constitutional provisions relating to the Official Language and the provisions of the Official Languages Act, 1963, except those whose implementation has been assigned to another department.
2
Obtaining the prior approval of the President for authorizing the limited use of a language other than English in the proceedings of a High Court of a State.
3
Overall responsibility for all matters relating to the progressive use of Hindi as the Official Language of the Union, including the Hindi Teaching Scheme for Central Government employees and the publication of journals, periodicals, and related literature.
4
Coordination of all matters relating to the progressive use of Hindi as the Official Language of the Union, including administrative terminology, syllabi, textbooks, training courses, and the required tools and resources, including standardized script.
5
Constitution and cadre management of the Central Secretariat Official Language Service.
6
Matters relating to the Central Hindi Committee.
7
Coordination of the work relating to Hindi Advisory Committees established by various Ministries and Departments.
8
Matters relating to the Central Translation Bureau.
9
Matters relating to the Central Hindi Training Institute, including the Hindi Teaching Scheme.
10
Matters relating to the Regional Implementation Offices.
11
Matters relating to the Committee of Parliament on Official Language.