NEW DELHI, Jan 3: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said the biggest hurdle in making Hindi an official language of United Nations is the procedure adopted by the world body.
During Lok Sabha Question Hour, Ms Swaraj said the UN has a specific procedure for language to be recognised as an official one of UN.
According to that procedure, getting Hindi accepted as an official language of the UN will involve an adoption of a Resolution by the General Assembly with a two-thirds majority.
The additional expenditure, according to UN rules, has to be contributed by all member states. She said if India alone had to bear expenditure it could do it but as procedure adopted by the UN, the additional expenditure have to be contributed by all member states.
Congress party’s Shashi Tharoor asserted that Hindi is used only in India and it will be futile to make it an official language of the United Nations. Responding to Mr Tharoor, Ms Swaraj said, ” that it is only your ignorance that Hindi is being spoken in India.”
Hindi, she said, is spoken in Fiji and by Non-Resident Indians in US. Indians settled abroad also speak Hindi, Ms Swaraj added. (UNI)
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