340. Appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes. (1) The President may by order appoint a Commission consisting of such persons as he thinks fit to investigate the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes within the territory of India and the difficulties under which theyKEEP READING

341. Scheduled Castes. (1) The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the castes, races or tribes or parts of or groups within castes, races or tribes which shall for theKEEP READING

342. Scheduled Tribes. (1) The President may with respect to any State or Union territory, and where it is a State, after consultation with the Governor thereof, by public notification, specify the tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribal communities which shall for theKEEP READING

PART XVII OFFICIAL LANGUAGE CHAPTER I – LANGUAGE OF THE UNION 343. Official language of the Union. (1) The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script. The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union shall be the international form ofKEEP READING

344. Commission and Committee of Parliament on official language. (1) The President shall, at the expiration of five years from the commencement of this Constitution and thereafter at the expiration of ten years from such commencement, by order constitute a Commission which shall consist of a Chairman and such otherKEEP READING

CHAPTER II – REGIONAL LANGUAGES 345. Official language or languages of a State. Subject to the provisions of articles 346 and 347, the Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languagesKEEP READING

346. Official language for communication between one State and another or between a State and the Union. The language for the time being authorised for use in the Union for official purposes shall be the official language for communication between one State and another State and between a State andKEEP READING

347. Special provision relating to language spoken by a section of the population of a State. On a demand being made in that behalf the President may, if he is satisfied that a substantial proportion of the population of a State desire the use of any language spoken by themKEEP READING

CHAPTER III – LANGUAGE OF THE SUPREME COURT, HIGH COURTS, ETC. 348. Language to be used in the Supreme Court and in the High Courts and for Acts, Bills, etc. (1) Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Part, until Parliament by law otherwise provides- (a) all proceedings inKEEP READING

349. Special procedure for enactment of certain laws relating to language. During the period of fifteen years from the commencement of this Constitution, no Bill or amendment making provision for the language to be used for any of the purposes mentioned in clause (1) of article 348 shall be introducedKEEP READING

CHAPTER IV – SPECIAL DIRECTIVES 350. Language to be used in representations for redress of grievances. Every person shall be entitled to submit a representation for the redress of any grievance to any officer or authority of the Union or a State in any of the languages used in theKEEP READING

350A. Facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage. It shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups; and the PresidentKEEP READING

350B. Special Officer for linguistic minorities. (1) There shall be a Special Officer for linguistic minorities to be appointed by the President. (2) It shall be the duty of the Special Officer to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities under this Constitution and report toKEEP READING

351. Directive for development of the Hindi language. It shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secureKEEP READING

PART XVIII EMERGENCY PROVISIONS Article 352. Proclamation of Emergency. (1) If the President is satisfied that a grave emergency exists whereby the security of India or of any part of the territory thereof is threatened, whether by war or external aggression or armed rebellion, he may, by Proclamation, make aKEEP READING

353. Effect of Proclamation of Emergency. While a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation, then- (a) notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, the executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of directions to any State as to the manner in which the executive power thereof is to be exercised;KEEP READING