Punjabi has been made a compulsory subject in Punjab by CM Channi

On November 12, Punjab’s CM Charanjit Singh Channi announced that Punjabi will be a mandatory subject in the state from classes 1 to 10. Schools will be fined up to Rupees 2 lakh for violating the orders. He added that Punjabi will also be compulsory in offices and must be written on top of all the boards in the state.

On November 11, The state assembly of Punjab passed 15 bills of which two are related to the Punjabi language. Punjab and Other Languages Education (Amendment), 2021, and Punjab State Language (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Under the Punjab and Other Languages Education (Amendment), 2021, makes the language a compulsory subject in all schools, and in case of violation, the school will be fined up to Rupees 2 lakh.

CM Channi resisted the decision of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) who kept Punjabi out of the main subjects and said that it is against the federal spirit of the Constitution. Now he took this decision to promote the mother language.

Punjab State Language (Amendment) Bill, 2021 directs that all official business be conducted in Punjabi. A fine of Rupees 500 will be imposed for not abiding by the orders. A fine of Rs. 2000 for the second violation and Rupees 5000 for the third violation.