The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill under which Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi, apart from the existing Urdu and English, will be the official languages in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has described the passing of the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages (Amendment) Bill as a momentous day for the people of the Union Territory.
In a series of tweets, Amit Shah also said under the legislation, special efforts will be made towards the development of major regional languages like 'Gojri', 'Pahari' and 'Punjabi'.
"A momentous day for the people of J&K as Jammu Kashmir Official Languages (Amendment) Bill was passed in Lok Sabha. With this historic bill...Long-awaited dream of the people of J&K comes true!," he said.
The Home Minister said Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi and English will now be the official languages of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Under this bill, special efforts will be made towards the development of major regional languages like 'Gojri', 'Pahari' and 'Punjabi'," he said.
The home minister said along with this, the bill will also strengthen the existing institutional structure for the promotion and development of regional languages.
"I thank PM @narendramodi ji for his commitment towards restoring the culture of Jammu and Kashmir through this bill. I also want to assure our sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir that the Modi govt will leave no stone unturned to bring back the glory of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
Introducing the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020, Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said it was a demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the language they speak should be the official language.