By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 23: The Centre has no fixed criteria for including Khasi in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and has offered no timeline for taking the state’s long-standing demand forward.
In a letter to Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organization (HITO) president Donbok Dkhar, Director of the National Integration Wing of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Alice Roseline Tete acknowledged the demand for Khasi’s inclusion but indicated no concrete steps towards a decision.
Dkhar received the hard copy of the communication on Friday afternoon in response to HITO’s representation dated June 5, 2026.
The ministry said 22 languages are currently included in the Eighth Schedule and acknowledged demands for the inclusion of other languages, including Khasi.
It cited the difficulty of setting fixed criteria for distinguishing languages from dialects or determining their eligibility for constitutional recognition, arguing that language evolution is shaped by socio-cultural, economic and political developments.
The MHA said earlier attempts to frame such criteria through the Pahwa Committee in 1996 and the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee in 2003 had remained inconclusive.
While stating that the government was conscious of the sentiments and demands surrounding the inclusion of more languages, the letter said such requests would have to be considered in light of those sentiments and other relevant factors.