New Delhi: In a landmark decision, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has approved the conduct of constable (general duty) examinations for the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in 13 regional languages including Telugu, in addition to Hindi and English. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the decision and called it "pathbreaking".
Quoting the home minister's office tweet, Modi said, "A pathbreaking decision, which will give wings to the aspirations of our youth! This is a part of our various efforts to ensure language is not seen as a barrier to fulfilling one’s dreams."
In a statement, the MHA said that in a landmark decision under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the ministry has approved conducting the constable (general duty) examination for the CAPF in 13 regional languages.
"The historic decision has been taken at the initiative of Union home minister and minister of cooperation Amit Shah to give impetus to the participation of local youth in the CAPF and encourage regional languages," the MHA said.
The CAPF are the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the National Security Guard (NSG).
In addition to Hindi and English, the question paper will be set in 13 regional languages -- Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Urdu, Punjabi, Manipuri and Konkani.
The announcement comes days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao wrote to Shah, calling on him to include Tamil and Telugu as languages for the written exam in the recruitment for CRPF personnel.
In his letter, Stalin said that in the notification for the CRPF recruitment written exam, it was mentioned that the test could be taken in English or Hindi.
The MHA said the decision will result in lakhs of aspirants taking the examination in their mother tongue or regional language and improve their selection prospects.
The ministry and the Staff Selection Commission will sign an addendum to the existing memorandum of understanding to facilitate the conduct of the examination in multiple Indian languages, the statement said.
Constable (general duty) is one of the flagship examinations conducted by the commission and attracts lakhs of candidates from across the country. The examination in 13 regional languages, in addition to Hindi and English, will be conducted beginning January 1, 2024.
The state governments and Union territory administrations are expected to launch a wide campaign to encourage local youths to use this opportunity of taking the examination in their mother tongue and participate in large numbers to make a career serving the country.
"The ministry, under the leadership of the Prime Minister and the guidance of the Union home minister, is fully committed to encouraging the use and development of regional languages," it added.
