UPSC papers in 15 languages

Government has taken up with the Union Public Service Commission the question of preparing question papers for its examinations in all the 15 languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. Replying to Mr. S. S. Bhandari and other Jan Sangh members in Rajya Sabha to-day [December 10, New Delhi], Mr. V. C. Shukla, Minister of State for Home Affairs, said that the use of 15 languages, in addition to English, had been permitted for two subjects in the combined competitive examination conducted by UPSC this year. Mr. Shukla said UPSC had pointed out certain difficulties in setting the question papers in all the 15 languages but they were trying to overcome these difficulties. The Jan Sangh members had demanded that Hindi should be introduced with English in question papers of UPSC competitive examination and for interviews. Mr. Shukla said it was not at present possible to indicate when Hindi would be permitted to be used, in addition to English, for the interviews or for the use of all regional languages for all subjects in UPSC examinations.