Gor Boli is spoken by the Banjara community but is outside the Eighth Schedule. This article covers what the Schedule is, how it grew, and why Gor Boli is still outside it.
At a glance
Four key facts on this topic
Contents
What Gor Boli is
Short Answer
1.1 What is Gor Boli?
Gor Boli is the language of the Banjara community. It is not one of the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
The Government of India has named Gorboli in Parliament as one of the languages with such demands.
1.2 Why is it in the news and in exams?
Demands to add languages to the Eighth Schedule come up often. Exams test which languages are in the Schedule and which are only on the demand list.
Think it through: Does speaking a language make it a scheduled language?
No. A language becomes scheduled only when the Constitution is amended to add it.
The Eighth Schedule and its speakers
The Eighth Schedule
2.1 What is the Eighth Schedule?
It is a list of languages in the Constitution. It is linked to Articles 344(1) and 351. Article 344(1) sets up a Commission with members representing the languages in the Schedule.
The MHA note says the Schedule was meant to promote Hindi and enrich it. Article 351 makes it the Union’s duty to spread Hindi as a medium for India’s composite culture.
2.2 How did the list grow?
| Year | Languages added |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 14 languages at the start, including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu |
| 1967 | Sindhi |
| 1992 | Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali (31 August 1992) |
| 2004 | Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali (7 January 2004) |
That makes 14 + 1 + 3 + 4 = 22 languages.
Think it through: Which year counts for Dogri?
The languages were added on 7 January 2004. Use 2004 for the inclusion date.
Who Speaks It
3.1 Who are the speakers?
A Telangana MP has said Gor Boli is the main language of communication among these tribes despite having no written script.
Banjara appears as entry 2 in the Government’s list of 38 languages with pending demands.
3.2 How many speakers are there?
The sources used here give no exact official figure for Gor Boli speakers. So treat any single number with care.
How a language gets in, and the exam link
How a Language Gets In
4.1 Are there fixed rules?
No. The Government told the Lok Sabha on 11 February 2025 that there are no fixed criteria for inclusion. The Pahwa Committee (1996) and the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee (2003) tried to set criteria. Both attempts were inconclusive.
The Government says the growth of dialects and languages is a dynamic process. It is influenced by social, cultural, economic and political changes. So it is difficult to fix any criterion.
4.2 What does the Government look at?
In 2016 the Government said it would weigh the sentiments of people. It would also consider factors such as how a dialect grows into a language and how widely a language is used.
4.3 How many demands are pending?
The 2016 PIB reply and the 2017 MHA note both count 38 languages with demands. The list includes Banjara, Bhojpuri, Gondi, Rajasthani and Tulu. The 2025 reply gives no count. So quote 38 with its year.
In 2021 the Government said no time-frame can be fixed to consider these demands.
Think it through: Why is the number of demands dated?
The Government has not published a newer count. The 38 figure is from 2016 and 2017.
Exam Traps
5.1 Is there a real exam question?
CDS 2 2025, General Knowledge, Q12
Which among the following is not a language listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India?
- (a) Manipuri
- (b) Gondi
- (c) Nepali
- (d) Dogri
Answer: (b) Gondi
Manipuri and Nepali were added in 1992 and Dogri in 2004. Gondi is on the demand list, not in the Schedule.
5.2 Which facts do students mix up?
- The Schedule has 22 languages. Gor Boli, Gondi, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani and Tulu are not among them.
- 1992: Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali. 2004: Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali.
- Demand count: 38, as of the 2016 and 2017 documents.
- There are no fixed criteria. Two committees did not settle it.
Remember this
- Status: Gor Boli is not in the Eighth Schedule of 22 languages.
- Articles: 344(1) and 351.
- Additions: Sindhi 1967. Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali 1992. Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali 2004.
- Demands: 38 pending, per 2016 and 2017 documents.
- Criteria: none fixed. Pahwa 1996, Mohapatra 2003.
Explain it back: Why is a language with many speakers still not scheduled?
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MCQ on Gor Boli and the Eighth Schedule
Try 6 practice questions on the Eighth Schedule.
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