Why in News?
President Droupadi Murmu released the Constitution of India in the Santhali language, written in Ol Chiki script.
In 2003, the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act added Santali to Schedule VIII to the Constitution of India, which lists the official languages of India, along with the Bodo, Dogri and Maithili languages.
Interconnected concept: Schedule VIII of Constitution of India:
Schedule VIII to the Constitution of India lists the officially recognized “Scheduled Languages” of the Republic of India.
Initially, the Constitution (1950) included 14 languages. As of 2025, there are 22 languages:
- 21st Amendment (1967): Added Sindhi.
- 71st Amendment (1992): Added Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali.
- 92nd Amendment (2003): Added Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali (effective 2004).