Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities

In this article we will be discussing about Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities, an important part of the Indian Polity under the section of constitutional bodies. It is important to note that India has seen major protests based on the linguistic reasons resulting into reorganization of states also the Indian sub-continent has been to war because of linguistic reasons, it becomes important for UPSC aspirants to know about the mechanism ensured by the constitution of India to safeguard the rights of the linguistic minorities.

Constitutional Provisions for Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities

Initially, the Constitution of India didn’t  provided for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities but the States Reorganization Commission (1953-55) recommended the establishment of Special Officer for Linguistic minorities following these recommendations the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1956 introduced Article 350-B in Part XVII of the Constitution. The key provisions of this article included:

1. The appointment of a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities by the President of India.
2.  The Special Officer’s primary duty is to investigate matters related to the safeguards for linguistic minorities under the Constitution.
3. The officer is required to report these findings to the President at intervals directed by the President.
4. These reports are then presented before both Houses of Parliament and shared with the concerned state governments.

It is important to note that the Constitution does not specify the qualifications, tenure, salaries, allowances, service conditions, or removal procedures for the Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities and this is one of the major criticism by the critics.

Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities

In accordance with Article 350-B, the office of the Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities was established in 1957. This role is now designated as the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities.

The Commissioner’s headquarters is located in Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh) and he oversees three regional offices in Belgaum (Karnataka), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), and Kolkata (West Bengal). Each regional office is headed by an Assistant Commissioner who reports to the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities.

At the headquarters a Deputy Commissioner and an Assistant Commissioner are present to assist the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities. The question may come to your mind that  How does the headquarter main coordination with the other states?  Coordination with State Governments and Union Territories is maintained through nodal officers appointed by the respective states.

At the central level, the Commissioner operates under the Ministry of Minority Affairs and submits annual reports or other reports to the President via the Union Minority Affairs Minister.

Role of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities

The Commissioner looks into the grievance redressal related to the implementation of constitutional and national safeguards for linguistic minorities. These issues may be brought to the Commissioner’s attention by linguistic minority individuals, groups, associations, pressure groups or organizations at high political and administrative levels of state governments and Union Territory administrations. The Commissioner then recommends necessary actions for relief.

To further promote and preserve linguistic minority groups, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has urged State Governments and Union Territories to publicize the constitutional safeguards widely.

Functions of Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities

It is important to understand functions of the Commissioner in order to to understand the importance, below we have listed the functions-

• To safeguard and investigate the matters concerning Linguistic Minorities.
• To submit the reports on status of implementation of the safeguards for the linguistic minorities to the President of India.
• To monitor the implementation of the safeguards ensured by the Indian constitution.

Objectives of Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities

The Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities is not only restricted to the safeguarding the rights and reporting the condition of linguistic minorities but also his office holds the following objectives:

1. Provide equal opportunities to all linguistic minorities for national integration.
2. To spread the awareness among minorities about rights available to them.
3. Ensure effective implementation of the laws agreed by the constitution and the government.

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