Amit Shah Launches Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag to Promote Indian Languages in Governance

On June 6, 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Bharatiya Bhasha Anubhag (BBA), or Indian Languages Section, in New Delhi. This initiative is aimed at reducing the dominance of foreign languages, especially English, in India’s administrative functioning and promoting the use of mother tongues in decision-making and official communication. The move aligns with the vision of linguistic inclusion and is a key step towards fostering unity through India’s linguistic diversity.

Why in News?

The Indian Languages Section (BBA) was launched on June 6, 2025, by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The initiative aims to empower regional languages and promote decision-making in mother tongues, moving away from the traditional dominance of English in governance. The Union Budget 2024-25 allocated ₹56 crore for the development of this platform.

Aims and Objectives

• To free India’s administration from the influence of foreign languages.
• To promote thinking, analysis, and decision-making in Indian languages.
• To facilitate universal translation between Indian languages and Hindi (and vice versa).
• To strengthen regional languages and ensure inclusivity in governance.

Background and Significance

• Under the Official Languages Rules, 1976, communication with Region C States (like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka) is primarily in English.
• There has been long-standing discontent that regional languages are sidelined at the national level.
• The BBA was created to bridge this gap, ensuring that communications between Centre and States happen in native languages, with support from C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing).
• Aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes mother tongue-based education and administration.

Implementation Support

• C-DAC will develop tools to enable real-time and high-quality translation.
• The system aims to translate letters and government documents into regional languages for inclusive communication.

Statements from Officials

• Amit Shah stated “Our true potential will be achieved only when our processes of thinking and governance are conducted in our own languages.”
• Anshuli Arya (Secretary, Official Languages Division) explained the need for this section to resolve language-based disparities in government communication.