It is the inclusion of the Garo and Khasi language in the eighth schedule that I would like to talk about. Article 29 of the constitution states that a section of citizens having a distinct language, script, or culture has the right to conserve the same. Under the Meghalaya State Legislature Act 2005, Garo and Khasi have been declared associate official languages. 

Khasi is an Astro-Asiatic language spoken primarily among the tribe in Meghalaya and hilly areas of Assam. Garo is a Tibeto-Burmese language of the Boro-Jingpko group, spoken in Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland. According to the Census 2011, there are over 13 lakh (46.5%) Khasi speakers and 9 lakhs (31.5%) Garo speakers. The issue in inclusion of the two languages has been the lack of their own original script. 

On 27th September 2018, the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution to petition the Central Government to include the Khasi and Garo language in the eighth schedule of the constitution. We urge the Union Government to take cognisance of the state’s demand to include Garo and Khasi in the eighth schedule.