The Article 351 is a provision in Part XVII of the Constitution of India, which deals with the Official Language of the Union. It is a directive that places a duty upon the Union Government to promote the spread and development of the Hindi language. The provision was introduced as Draft Article 301I by a Drafting Committee Member on September 12, 1949, and adopted on September 14, 1949, following contentious debates in the Constituent Assembly over the language question. It was created to complement Article 343, which made Hindi in the Devanagari script the official language of the Union, by actively promoting Hindi's evolution as a link language and a medium of expression for India's composite culture.
The mechanism of Article 351 mandates that the Union must secure the enrichment of Hindi by assimilating forms, styles, and expressions from Hindustani and the other languages specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. It specifically advises drawing vocabulary primarily from Sanskrit and secondarily from other languages, ensuring Hindi's growth does not interfere with the genius of other Indian languages. This provision connects directly to Article 343, which declares Hindi as the official language, and to the Official Languages Act, 1963, which allowed the continued use of English alongside Hindi for official purposes. It also relates to Article 344(1), which provides for a Commission to make recommendations for the progressive use of Hindi. Article 351 has not been replaced or amended since its inception, but the Eighth Schedule, which it references, has been amended several times, expanding the list of recognized languages from 14 in 1950 to 22 currently.