Governor Satya Pal Malik has agreed to raise the demand for the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Khasi Authors Society (KAS) said today.
Three KAS leaders met with the Governor today, namely the association’s President, Prof DRL Nonglait, General Secretary Ronald Peel Kharshiing and Editorial Board Member Prof Esther Syiem.
During a half-hour discussion at Raj Bhavan, KAS described the “sad reality” of Khasi’s non-inclusion in the Eighth Schedule despite the language being spoken by nearly 1.5 million people in the state according to the 2011 census.
In preceding years, Khasi speakers have seen the languages of their neighbours, such as Manipuri and Nepali (both included in 1992) and Bodo (2003) incorporated into the Eighth Schedule, which provides official status to 22 languages. One of the benefits of such inclusion includes being permitted to sit for the Union Public Service Exam in any language listed in the Eighth Schedule.
The non-inclusion of Khasi, after a demand of around four decades, has frustrated the educated youth of the community, who have to write these competitive exams in English.
“Hence it is high time that the government of India initiates necessary steps for the constitutional recognition of the Khasi language, so as to make the people of the state realise that their rightful demand is respected,” a KAS press release stated.
According to the association, Malik said he will discuss the issue with Shah and also intimated that KAS might want to seek an appointment with the Union Home Minister when he returns to Shillong sometime next month.
