Federal circular on Use of Hindi in Banks

Thanks to Arvind Khanna for the tip. Following is an Official Circular/Notification issued by भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक/Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the use of Bharatiya (misnomer: Indian) Rashtra Bhasha (National Language of India) Hindi in Public Sector Banks. Bharat (misnomer: India) may be the only country in the world where its Federal Reserve Bank has to issue such an official memo to force its babies (Public Sector Banks) to use the National Language (status at least on books) instead of latter doing it on its own with pride.

What's funny is that the Circular itself has been released in English only and RBI's so-called हिंदी वेबसाइट/Hindi website is, to put it politely, completely incomprehensible (see the snapshot below). Not that situation is any different on any other Bharatiya Government website exception being Bharat's and Gujarat's best Chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi's website which is not only in Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English but its the ONLY up-to-date Government website in the world which is also in संस्कृत/Samskrtam/Sanskrit.



What I didn't like in the Circular was point 43.e) "Only International form of numerals (1,2,3,4 ….) should be used in the application forms and other literature which are printed in Hindi.". What they are saying is don't use १, २, ३, ४... Why? If you are fine with even the minute details to be written in देवनागरी लिपि/Devnagri Lipi (Script) then what's the problem in writing numerals in Devnagri Lipi? What's ridiculous is that the Circular is using Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv....), a foreign numeral system, in its bullet points while discerningly discouraging others from using the Devenagri numerals, a national homegrown oldest known numeral system in the world. The numeral system from where the English numerals and other numerals forms evolved or originated out off. Arabic numerals is of course a shameful wrongly credited misnomer. Another example of self-demeaning Bharatvaasi (misnomer: Indians).

Anyways, I am very happy that RBI has issued this circular. Better late than never. How much of it will be followed and implemented? We'll have to wait and see. And that's a long wait my friends....you know how bureaucracy works! It doesn't. ;-)

The Official Circular can be read here: "Use of Hindi in Public Sector Banks".

Properly formatted PDF of the same is available here.

Following is an excerpt from the Notification with the list of contents:

RBI/2009-10/95
DBOD No. Rajbhasha BC. 4 /06.11.04/2009-10

July 1, 2009
9th Ashadha 1931 (S)

Chairman & Managing Director
All Public Sector Banks

Dear Sir,

Master Circular - Use of Hindi in Banks

Please refer to our Master Circular DBOD No.Rajbhasha.BC.13/06.11.04/ 2008-09 dated July 1, 2008 on the captioned subject. The Master Circular has been suitably updated by incorporating instructions issued up to June 30, 2009 and has also been placed on the RBI web-site (http://www.rbi.org.in).

Yours faithfully,

(Vinay Baijal)
Chief General Manager

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Contents
Use of Hindi in Public Sector Banks
1	Introduction
2	Correspondence in Hindi
3	Acceptance of cheques drawn and signed in Hindi
4	Signature in Hindi on official documents
5	Implementation of the Section 3(3) of Official Languagues Act, 1963
6	Issuing advertisements bilingually
7	Bilingualisation of Annual Reports
8	Hindi version of the term 'A Government of India Undertaking'
9	Bilingualisation of stationery items
10	Display of name-boards, designation boards, counter boards, sign boards etc.
11	Use of Hindi for Internal Circulars, Office Orders, Inviation Cards etc.
12	Issue of bilingual agenda notes and proceedings of all-India conferences
13	Setting up of Hindi Deptts./Sections/Cells etc.
14	Formation of Hindi cadre and filling up of Hindi Posts
15	Duties of Hindi Officers
16	Re-designation of Hindi Cells/Sections/Departments and Hindi Officers
17	Submission of quarterly progress reports and other reports
18	Official Language Implementation Committees
19	Setting up of Hindi Libraries
20	Publication of periodicals in Hindi
21	Adding of Hindi section in House Magazines
22	Hindi Teaching Schemes
23	Banking training through Hindi medium
24	Learning of Hindi Typewriting/Stenography by Typists and Stenographers of banks
25	Hindi Workshops
26	Printing of forms and translation of Codes, Manuals etc.
27	Notification under Rule 10(4) and specifying under Rule 8(4) of the Official Language Rules, 1976
28	Making entries in Hindi in the ledgers and registers
29	Submission of Inspection Reports forwarded by the officials of Rajbhasha Vibhag
30	Submission of reports on implementation of Official Language Policy to the Board of Directors
31	Capsule Course
32	Induction courses of the banks
33	Publication of balance sheets by banks bilingually
34	Granting of awards for books and essays originally written in Hindi on financial, banking and economic subjects
35	Participation in meetings of Town Official Language Implementation Committees
36	Naming of new bank subsidiaries/schemes in Hindi or other Indian languages
37	Inclusion in corporate plan
38	Use of Hindi in customer service
39	a) Providing statement of accounts to the account holders in Hindi by the computerised branches
	b) Provision of bilingual software
40	Use of Hindi in the branches of Indian banks functioning in foreign countries
41	Honourable Prime Minister's directions for increasing use of Hindi in the official work
42	Work in Hindi on Computers I) Consolidated guidelines on work in Hindi on computers II) Bilingual Data Processing Software/Core Banking Solutions III) Internal standing working group IV) Use of only bilingual electronic equipments V) Orders of the President of India on the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language in the 8th volume of its Report
43	Miscellaneous instructions
	Annexure
	Appendix