The schedule of the Constitution that lists the languages officially recognised by the Indian State, currently numbering 22.
- It is linked to Articles 344(1) and 351 and deals with the recognised languages and the development of Hindi.
- It originally listed 14 languages; the count rose to 22 through amendments.
- Sindhi was added by the 21st Amendment, 1967; Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali by the 71st Amendment, 1992; and Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali by the 92nd Amendment, 2003.
- Inclusion gives a language representation on the Official Languages Commission and eligibility for certain official uses, though it is distinct from the question of an official language of the Union.
- Several other languages are demanding inclusion, and the list is not closed.
The current count of 22, the original 14, and the amendment numbers that added languages are precise factual items frequently asked in polity.
The Eighth Schedule languages (22) are not the same as the official languages of the Union; Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language under Article 343, while English continues as an associate official language.
Eighth Schedule: 22 recognised languages (originally 14); linked to Articles 344(1) and 351.