Constitution Now in Gujarati, Tamil on Mother Language Day, Says VP

The release took place at a special function held at the Vice President's Enclave, marking an important step toward enhancing the linguistic accessibility of the country's foundational legal document.

The initiative aims to make the Constitution more accessible to citizens in their native languages, thereby strengthening democratic participation and awareness of constitutional values across diverse linguistic communities, stated a communication issued.

In a message read out during the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the importance of linguistic inclusivity in ensuring wider public access to the Constitution and laws of the country. He appreciated the efforts of the Legislative Department in publishing updated constitutional texts in Gujarati and Tamil and in preparing the Legal Glossary using simple and easily understandable Hindi terminology.

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal commended the Department's work and highlighted the historical significance of International Mother Language Day.

He recalled the 1952 language movement in then East Pakistan, where people struggled to protect the Bengali language against the imposition of Urdu. Referring to UNESCO and United Nations resolutions, including the declaration of 2008 as the International Year of Languages, he underlined the global importance of preserving linguistic diversity. He also mentioned the release of the first Santhali version of the Constitution by the President on December 25, 2025, and her appreciation for the initiative.

Secretary, Legislative Department, Dr. Rajiv Mani, elaborated on the Department's continuous efforts to translate and update the Constitution in multiple Indian languages.

He highlighted the release of the Gujarati and Tamil versions along with the 8th edition of the Legal Glossary (English-Hindi), and noted that the Constitution has now been translated into several regional languages, including Santhali.

He acknowledged the contributions of the Regional Languages Unit, the Official Languages Wing, and officers of the Legislative Department in completing the project.

- ANI