Tulu language gets fresh push for national recognition, Eighth Schedule inclusion

A proposal seeking a national framework for the recognition and development of Tulu has been submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for the creation of a Tulu Language National Recognition and Development Mission 2026–2035.

The proposal seeks greater institutional support for the language and calls for its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, according to reports by BW Education and The Economic Times.

The proposal also calls for measures aimed at research, documentation and preservation of Tulu language and cultural heritage.

Tulu's Eighth Schedule demand

Tulu is not among the 22 languages currently included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Department of Official Language lists the 22 scheduled languages, which include Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu, among others.

The demand for including Tulu in the Eighth Schedule has been raised for several years. The Union government has previously received representations seeking such inclusion. In a parliamentary response, the government said there were no fixed criteria for inclusion of languages in the Eighth Schedule.

The latest proposal seeks to provide a structured framework for addressing recognition, development and preservation of Tulu.

Karnataka gives Tulu additional official-language status

The proposal comes shortly after the Karnataka Cabinet approved Tulu as a second additional official language in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

The decision was accompanied by an allocation of ₹82 lakh annually for activities including translation and training related to implementation of the decision.

The state-level decision has also renewed calls for Tulu to receive recognition at the national level. Leaders from coastal Karnataka have subsequently called for the language to be included in the Eighth Schedule.

The proposed national mission covers recognition and development of Tulu over the 2026–2035 period. The proposal includes measures for research and preservation of the language and its cultural heritage, alongside the demand for constitutional recognition.

It also seeks an inter-ministerial examination of measures related to Tulu's development and recognition.

According to the 2011 Census figures cited in the reports, 18,46,849 people reported Tulu as their mother tongue.

Inclusion in the Eighth Schedule does not make a language the national language of India. The schedule currently contains 22 languages recognised for specified constitutional and governmental purposes.

The Constitution does not prescribe a single national language. Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union under Article 343, while English continues to be used for official purposes under the Official Languages Act, 1963.