Mizoram Assembly unanimously passes fresh resolution for Mizo language recognition

After more than 35 years, the Mizoram Assembly on March 9 unanimously adopted a new resolution seeking the inclusion of the Mizo language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The move aims to reinforce the state’s longstanding demand for recognition of its lingua franca, spoken by various Mizo tribes.
School Education Minister Vanlalthlana, who moved the resolution, said the initiative has widespread consensus across Mizoram’s socio-political spectrum. “This step does not replace the 1991 resolution but amplifies the state’s voice, ensuring the demand reaches the Central government with renewed urgency,” he said.
The inclusion would allow Members of Parliament from Mizoram to speak in their mother tongue in Parliament, enable Mizo students to appear in premier Central Service examinations like IAS, IPS, and IES using the language, and boost literary and cultural initiatives through the National Translation Mission, Sahitya Akademi, and the National Book Trust. It would also create employment opportunities for translators and interpreters and expand Mizo-language programming on All India Radio and Doordarshan.
The resolution received backing from major NGOs including the Young Mizo Association (YMA) and ethnic groups like the Chakma and Bru communities, marking a rare moment of ethnic unity on the linguistic front.
The Assembly deliberation included one member each from the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) and opposition parties — Mizo National Front, Congress, and BJP. Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Leader of Opposition Lalchhandama Ralte participated in the discussion.
The first resolution seeking Mizo’s inclusion in the Eighth Schedule was adopted on March 23, 1991. The language was declared Mizoram’s official language in 1974. With 38 languages currently competing for inclusion in the Eighth Schedule, the state government hopes the fresh, unified resolution will strengthen its political voice at the national level.