India needs to be `atmanirbhar` even with languages: Amit Shah on Hindi Diwas

On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, the Union Home Minister said, `The progress of India is contained in the coordination of mother tongue and official language.``

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday urged the people of the country to take a pledge to use Hindi along with their mother tongue, saying that India needs to be 'Atmanirbhar' even with languages.

The Union Home Minister made these remarks while addressing a gathering on the occasion of Hindi Diwas.

“Being 'Atmanirbhar' is not just about producing within the country, we've to be 'Atmanirbhar' even with languages. If PM can speak Hindi internationally, what are we embarrassed about? Gone are the days when speaking in Hindi was a matter of concern,’’ Amit Shah said.

The Home Minister added, “The progress of India is contained in the coordination of mother tongue and official language.’’

"On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, I urge all the countrymen to take a pledge to progressively use Hindi which is one of the official languages along with their mother tongue in basic works. The progress of India is contained in the coordination of mother tongue and official language. Wishing you all a very Happy Hindi Diwas," Shah said in a tweet in Hindi.

Shah added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership the government is committed to the parallel development of Hindi and other Indian languages.

"Language is the most powerful medium to express emotion. Other than being the base of our cultural consciousness and national unity, Hindi also serves as a bridge between ancient civilization and modernity and progress. Under the leadership of Modi ji, we are continuously committed to the parallel development of Hindi and all the other Indian languages," Shah said in another tweet.

Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi also extended greetings on the occasion of Hindi Diwas and said that people from different regions have played a remarkable role in making Hindi a vigorous language.

"Wishing you all a very Happy Hindi Diwas. People from different regions have played a remarkable role in making Hindi a capable and vigorous language. It is the result of all your efforts that Hindi is continuously creating a strong identity for itself on the global stage," PM Modi's tweet, roughly translated from Hindi, said.

The Hindi language was first adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the official language of the Republic of India on September 14, 1949.

The decision of using Hindi as an official language of India was legalised by the Constitution of India on January 26, 1950. Spoken as a native language by 258 million people, Hindi is recognised as the fourth most spoken language in the world.