Parliament has passed the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, 2020 with Rajya Sabha giving its nod today. The bill makes Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi, English and Urdu as the official language of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Replying to a discussion on the bill, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy said that the legislation will fulfill the long-awaited demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir informed the Centre that people across the Union Territory had been demanding to include the languages they speak and understand as their official language. He said, mistakes of the last 70 years will be rectified with this bill by ensuring the official language status to the languages spoken by the Kashmiri people. He said, government will work to promote the Punjabi and other regional languages in J&K.
