Shillong (Meghalaya), Oct 27 : The Garo Baptist Convention has expressed its grave concern and disappointment over exclusion of Garo of language from the tentative list of 38 languages to be incorporated in the Eight Schedule notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs recently.
The Garo Baptist Convention in a statement said that Garo language and literature have evolved over time and is spoken by about 1.5 million people in the Northeast India and primarily in the five districts of the state of Meghalaya.
‘Overall, about 33% of the population of Meghalaya speak Garo language. On the academic front, the language has reached doctoral study level and thousands of students pursue their studies in Garo language. The demand for inclusion of Garo language in the eight schedule of the Constitution of India is a long pending call and legitimate’, the statement added.
The Garo Baptist Convention urged the government of India and the government of Meghalaya to consider urgently reviewing and amending the recently released list and include the Garo language in revised list.
The Garo Baptist Convention urged both the central and state government to seriously consider aspirations of Garo people in this regard.
