as introduced in lok sabha bill no 124 of 2020 the jammu and kashmir official languages bill, 2020 a billto provide for the languages to be used for the official purposes of the union territory of jammu and kashmir and for matters connected therewith or incidental theretobe it enacted by parliament in the seventy-first year of the republic of india as follows:—1 (1) this act may be called the jammu and kashmir official languages act, 2020(2) it extends to the union territory of jammu and kashmirshort title, extent and commencement(3) it shall come into force on such date as the central government may, bynotification in the official gazette, appoint:provided that the administrator may appoint different dates for different areas in the union territorydefinitions2 in this act, unless the context otherwise requires,—(a) "administrator" means the lieutenant governor of the union territory of jammu and kashmir appointed by the president under article 239 of the constitution;(b) "union territory" means the union territory of jammu and kashmirofficial languages of union territory3 with effect from such date as the administrator may, by notification in the official gazette, appoint in this behalf, the kashmiri, dogri, urdu, hindi and english languages shall be the official languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the union territory:provided that the english language may continue to be used, for those administrative and legislative purposes, in the union territory for which it was being used before the commencement of this act: provided further that the business in the legislative assembly of the union territory shall be transacted in the official language or languages of the union territory4 (1) the administrator may, for the promotion and development of regional languages of the union territory, take necessary steps to strengthen the existing institutional mechanisms such as the academy of art, culture and languages in the union territorypromotion and development of regional languages(2) the institutional mechanisms referred to in sub-section (1) shall make special efforts for the promotion and development of gojri, pahari and punjabi languages statement of objects and reasonssection 47 of the jammu and kashmir reorganisation act, 2019 (34 of 2019) provides for official language or languages of the union territory of jammu and kashmir and language or languages to be used in legislative assembly of the union territory of jammu and kashmir the said section provides that the legislative assembly may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the union territory of jammu and kashmir or hindi as the official language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the union territory of jammu and kashmir2 section 73 of the said act empowers the president to suspend the operation of all or any of the provisions of the act for such period as he thinks fit and make such incidental and consequential provisions as may appear to him to be necessary or expedient for administering the union territory of jammu and kashmir in accordance with the provisions of the said act  vide the order so number 3937(e), dated the 31st october, 2019 issued by the government of india, any reference therein to the legislature or legislative assembly of the union territory of jammu and kashmir shall, in so far as it relates to the functions and powers thereof, be construed, unless the context otherwise requires, as a reference to parliament3 in the light of above and for preserving urdu and english which are used as official languages of the union territory of jammu and kashmir and simultaneously elaborating its ambit by including languages spoken by a majority of the population,  it has become necessary to enact a law by parliament, namely, the jammu and kashmir official languages bill, 2020 the said bill provides—(a) that the kashmiri, dogri, urdu, hindi and english languages shall be the official languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the union territory;(b) for the empowerment of the administrator to appoint different dates for different official purposes or for different areas in the said union territory;(c) that the english language may continue to be used, for those administrative and legislative purposes in the union territory for which it was being used before the commencement of the proposed legislation; and(d) that the administrator may, for the promotion and development of regional languages of the union territory, take necessary steps to strengthen the existing institutional mechanisms such as the academy of art, culture and languages in the union territory and these institutional mechanisms shall make special efforts for promotion and development of gojri, pahari and punjabi languages 4 the bill seeks to achieve the above objectivesnew delhi;amit shahthe 21st  september, 2020————a billto provide for the languages to be used for the official purposes of the union territory of jammu and kashmir and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto________ (shri amit shah, minister of home affairs)mgipmrnd—779ls—22-08-2020