Aizawl: Steps are being taken in Mizoram to explore the possibility of including the Mizo language in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution, officials said on Thursday.
The initiative is being undertaken by the Mizo Language Development Board (MLDB), established by the government, they added.
Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Thursday chaired a meeting with members of the Eighth Schedules Study Group of the MLDB to review and assess the progress of initiatives taken by the study group, according to an official statement issued by the state’s Information and Public Relations department.
The study group informed Lalduhoma that its report is nearing completion and will soon be submitted to the government, the statement said. It also told the Chief Minister that its members have been meeting representatives of various organisations and ethnic communities across the state to gather opinions on the inclusion of the Mizo language in the Eighth Schedule.
The members said there is overwhelming consensus and support for including the Mizo language in the 8th Schedule. They also informed Lalduhoma that Mizoram had submitted a proposal for the inclusion of Mizo in the 8th Schedule to the Centre in the past, but no concrete follow-up action was taken, the statement added.
The study group suggested constituting a task force to resubmit the proposal in a comprehensive manner and pursue the matter vigorously.
It noted that Mizo was declared the official language of Mizoram in 1974 and serves as a common medium of communication, or lingua franca, among Zo ethnic communities living in different parts of the world.