Aizawl, Jan 22: The Chief Minister of Mizoram, Lalduhoma, today met members of the Eighth Schedules Study Group constituted under the Mizo Language Development Board (MLDB) at his office. During the meeting, the Study Group briefed the Chief Minister on the progress of their work and initiatives. While the final report has not yet been formally submitted, the Study Group informed that it is nearing completion.

The Chief Minister appreciated the significant progress achieved by the MLDB and the Study Group within a short period and commended their dedicated efforts. He stated that the recommendations and proposals put forward by the Study Group were well-considered and assured that these would be followed up appropriately.

The Eighth Schedules Study Group informed that they have been visiting various organisations and communities across Mizoram to gather public opinion on the inclusion of the Mizo language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. They reported an overwhelming consensus in favour of including Mizo in the Eighth Schedule. It was also pointed out that Mizoram had submitted a proposal earlier, but no concrete follow-up action had taken place so far. The Study Group suggested the constitution of a Task Group to resubmit the proposal in a comprehensive manner and to pursue the matter vigorously.

The Study Group highlighted that Mizo was declared the official language of the State in 1974. It serves as a common medium of communication among Zo ethnic communities living in different parts of the world. The Sahitya Akademi has recognised Mizo as a regional language, and it can be studied up to the PhD level. The People’s Linguistic Survey of India has classified Mizo as a growing language, while UNESCO has placed it in the “Vulnerable” category among the world’s languages.

According to the 2011 Census, Mizo speakers are spread across 26 States and 7 Union Territories of India, and it is believed that Mizo speakers are now present in all States of the country. As per the Census, the number of Mizo speakers in Mizoram stood at 8,30,846, a figure believed to have increased substantially since then. Some scholars estimate that the total number of Mizo speakers worldwide has now exceeded 2.2 million.

It was further informed that Google Translate has included Mizo as a translatable language since 11 May 2022. On that occasion, Google selected 24 languages worldwide out of 1,745 studied for inclusion in Google Translate, and Mizo was among those selected.

The meeting was attended by R. Lallianzuala, Chairman, Mizo Language Development Board; Lalsangpuia, Secretary, MLDB; and Dr. Zoramdinthara and Dr. H. Laldinmawia, Members of the Eighth Schedules Study Group.