Galaxy
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Official hai!
Official hai! | Deccan Chronicle
- November 6, 2011
Street lingo as officialese? Hinglish may be how most of us communicate, but for decades the government has insisted on the use of "shudh" Hindi or English by its babus. But now Hinglish has gone sarkari, with the ministry of home affairs finally giving the nod to babus to use a convenient mix of Hindi and English to make their official communication more engaging.
According to the rather comprehensive new guidelines issued by Veena Upadhyay, secretary, department of official language in the home ministry, babus are now permitted the use of simple Hindi words and English alternatives rather than search for translations of difficult Hindi terms. The emphasis now is on simplicity, regardless of the language used. While purists undoubtedly are cringing at this assault on the Language Pure, babus hopefully should find their lives getting easier.
Under pressure
The runaway success of the Right to Information Act (RTI) has meant that the government is flooded with applications. The Central government alone, it is estimated, receives an average 800,000 applications every year. Not surprisingly, the Central Information Commission (CIC) is reeling under the increasing work load. Currently, chief information commissioner Satyananda Mishra and his five information commissioners are struggling valiantly to keep pace.
Babu-watchers often wondered why, considering the daunting task Mishra & Co. face, the government did not appoint more eminent persons as information commissioners to lessen the burden of the existing commissioners. Finally, it seems the government has given the go-ahead for appointing five more information commissioners to assist the panel. The delay is strange, say sources, since the RTI Act clearly provides for up to 10 information commissioners.
According to the rather comprehensive new guidelines issued by Veena Upadhyay, secretary, department of official language in the home ministry, babus are now permitted the use of simple Hindi words and English alternatives rather than search for translations of difficult Hindi terms. The emphasis now is on simplicity, regardless of the language used. While purists undoubtedly are cringing at this assault on the Language Pure, babus hopefully should find their lives getting easier.
Under pressure
The runaway success of the Right to Information Act (RTI) has meant that the government is flooded with applications. The Central government alone, it is estimated, receives an average 800,000 applications every year. Not surprisingly, the Central Information Commission (CIC) is reeling under the increasing work load. Currently, chief information commissioner Satyananda Mishra and his five information commissioners are struggling valiantly to keep pace.
Babu-watchers often wondered why, considering the daunting task Mishra & Co. face, the government did not appoint more eminent persons as information commissioners to lessen the burden of the existing commissioners. Finally, it seems the government has given the go-ahead for appointing five more information commissioners to assist the panel. The delay is strange, say sources, since the RTI Act clearly provides for up to 10 information commissioners.
Official hai! | Deccan Chronicle
