New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Rishikesh has issued an order, now being widely circulated, making it mandatory for all faculty members to sign leave applications in Hindi.
AIIMS Rishikesh @aiimsrishi circular says faculty members must apply for leave in Hindi! Applications in English not accepted! This is #HindiImposition in a central institution. Why shd a Tamil or Telugu origin doctor not apply for leave in English? Same rule in other AIIMS? pic.twitter.com/SPUn3dyq9d
— Kavita Krishnan (@kavita_krishnan) November 19, 2019
A Times of India report notes that the forwarding authority, in addition to the applicant, should sign the order in Hindi for the leave application to be accepted.
According to the newspaper, the order was issued by the academics dean, Manoj Gupta, who told TOI that the idea was to ”promote Hindi language” in accordance with the Centre’s guidelines.
While efforts to establish Hindi as India’s national language have in the past met with degrees of criticism, this particular effort stands out as its scope to exercise linguistic skill in Hindi is rather minimal. “The leave application and other forms are in English and the applicant can fill those in any language, but only signature in Hindi is mandatory,” Gupta told TOI.
Many students and faculty members at the institution questioned the order and the efficacy of signing in a language when it comes to generating interest in it.
Also read: National Education Policy Draft Amended to Address ‘Imposition’ of Hindi
AIIMS-Rishikesh public relations officer Harish Thapliyal told the paper that the order was an extension of a Central government rule that mandates a qualifying exam in Hindi for all Central government employees who are not well versed in the language.
In September this year, Union home minister Amit Shah said that the Hindi language could possibly become the unifying factor in India, much to the collective anger of those living in eastern, northeastern and southern parts of India.
His advocacy came months after the Union government withdrew the new “three-language formula” in the draft New Education Policy 2019. The shift from the current “two-language formula” sought mandatory teaching of Hindi in schools and was seen as a move to impose Hindi on the non-Hindi speaking states.