New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the conduct of the Constable (General Duty) examination for Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in 13 regional languages, in addition to Hindi and English, a statement said on Saturday.

The decision was taken at the initiative of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to give impetus to the participation of local youth in the CAPF and encourage regional languages, as per a communique issued by the Home Ministry.

In addition to Hindi and English, the question paper will be set in the following 13 regional languages- Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Urdu, Punjabi, Manipuri and Konkani, the release said.

The decision will result in lakhs of aspirants taking part in the examination in their mother tongue/regional language and improve their selection prospects, it said.

The MHA and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) would sign an addendum to the existing MoU to facilitate the conduct of the examination in multiple Indian languages, the statement said.

Constable GD is one of the flagship examinations conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) attracting lakhs of candidates from across the country.

The examination in 13 regional languages in addition to Hindi and English will be conducted from January 01, 2024, onwards.

States/UT governments are expected to launch a wide campaign encouraging local youths to use this opportunity of taking the examination in their mother tongue and participate in huge numbers to make a career serving the country, the Home Ministry said.

“The MHA under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guidance of the Home Minister is fully committed to encouraging the use and development of regional languages,” said the statement.

Meanwhile, the Home Minister in a tweet wrote, "In a historic decision, MHA decides to conduct the Constable (GD) CAPF exams in 13 regional languages also. It will give an impetus to the participation of local youth in CAPFs."

Shah said the decision reflects the PM's commitment to developing and encouraging regional languages.