Hindi Diwas 2026: Ministry of Defence Bags Prestigious Rajbhasha Kirti Award; Amit Shah Urges Revival of Linguistic Pride

Photo credit: PIB

Key Highlights of the Event:

• Top Honors for MoD: The Ministry of Defence secures the first position for the exemplary implementation of Hindi in official work among large departments.

• National Presentation: Union Home Minister Amit Shah presents the trophy to MoD Additional Secretary Manish Tripathi at the Sixth All India Rajbhasha Conference in Navi Mumbai.

• Linguistic Campaign: Home Minister Amit Shah passionately appeals to the nation’s youth and parents to protect their mother tongues, calling linguistic inferiority complexes a “sin”.

• Massive Congregation: Around 7,000 Hindi scholars, bureaucrats, and banking delegates gather for the high-level two-day official language summit.

• State Initiatives Expanded: Bihar announces a nationwide Hindi Literature Summit, while Uttarakhand expands its unique ‘Literature Villages’ to preserve regional dialects.

NEW DELHI: Marking the nationwide celebration of Hindi Diwas on Monday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) achieved a significant institutional milestone by winning the highly coveted Rajbhasha Kirti Award 2025-26. The top national recognition was presented in honor of the ministry’s exemplary and consistent implementation of the official language, Hindi, across its extensive administrative wings. Concurrently, prominent political leaders and administrative policymakers assembled across multiple forums to advocate for the expansion of Indian regional languages as core pillars of national sovereignty, cultural identity, and self-respect.

The Ministry of Defence successfully claimed the first prize under the premier category reserved for central ministries and operational departments employing more than 300 personnel. On behalf of the defense apparatus, the award was formally accepted by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Manish Tripathi. The presentation ceremony was led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the inaugural session of the Sixth All India Rajbhasha Conference, which officially kicked off in Navi Mumbai on Monday.

In a public statement following the victory, the Ministry of Defence emphasized that this prestigious accolade highlights the strategic and systematic digital implementation tools it has set up to ensure the seamless incorporation of Rajbhasha Hindi within everyday military administration and official bureaucratic communication.

Amit Shah’s Appeal on Mother Tongues and De-colonization

At the two-day conference attended by nearly 7,000 delegates, Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasized the cultural significance of native languages, linking language preservation to the nation’s broader decolonization efforts. Highlighting the historical journey since Hindi’s adoption by the Constituent Assembly in 1949, Shah urged parents and youth to embrace their mother tongues and abandon any inferiority complexes surrounding local languages. For his exact quotes and full statements, readers can refer to the detailed coverage in the source document.

State-Level Literary and Cultural Initiatives

• Bihar: Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced a upcoming two-day Hindi Literature Summit in Patna, honoring literary stalwarts from the state and praising national leadership for raising the global profile of Hindi.

• Uttarakhand: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami honored regional authors in Dehradun, advancing the state’s strategy to protect local mountain dialects through initiatives like the ‘Uttarakhand Sahitya Gaurav Samman Yojana’ and specialized ‘Sahitya Grams’ (Literature Villages).