On 11.02.2026, the Ministry of Minority Affairs answered Unstarred Question No. 2043, posed by DR. THIRUMAAVALAVAN THOLKAPPIYAN, regarding linguistic minorities in the country. The response indicated that the term "Linguistic Minorities" is not defined in the Constitution or any Statute and are identified by the State, State Government/Union Territory on the basis of Census data. The concept came into existence after the creation of Linguistic States following the State Reorganization Commission Report, 1956. The working definition used by the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities defines them as groups residing in India with a distinct language or script. This language need not be one of the twenty-two languages in the Eighth Schedule of the constitution. Linguistic minorities at the State, district, and taluka/tehsil levels have different mother tongues from the principal language of that area. Language data from the 2011 Census is available at censusindia.gov.in, provided by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Key Entities Referenced
Linguistic Minorities: The main subject, referring to groups defined by language differences.
State Reorganization Commission Report, 1956: Report that led to the creation of linguistic states.
Ministry of Minority Affairs: The ministry responsible for addressing the question about linguistic minorities.
Census 2011: Data source for identifying linguistic minorities.
India: The country where the linguistic minorities reside.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2043
ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026
LINGUISTIC MINORITIES IN THE COUNTRY
2043. DR. THIRUMAAVALAVAN THOLKAPPIYAN:
Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the number of linguistic minorities living in the country during the time of
independence; and
(b) the details of the number of linguistic minorities living in the country as on date?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS
(SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)
(a) & (b): The term ‘Linguistic Minorities’ has not been defined in the Constitution or by any
Statute. Linguistic Minorities are identified by the State, the State Government/Union Territory
on the basis of Census data.
The concept of Linguistic Minorities came into existence consequent to creation of the Linguistic
States on the recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission Report, 1956.
As per the working definition of Linguistic Minorities followed by the Commissioner for
Linguistic minorities: “Linguistic minorities are group or collectivities of individuals residing in
the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language or script of their own. The
language of the minority group need not be the one of the twenty two languages mentioned in the
Eighth Schedule of the constitution. In other words, linguistic minorities at the State level mean
any group or groups of people whose mother tongues are different from the principal language of
the State, and at the district and taluka/tehsil levels, different from the principal language of the
district or taluka/tehsil concerned”.
The Language Data as per Census 2011 is available in the public domain: censusindia.gov.in of
the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, Ministry of Home Affairs,
Government of India.
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