Chandigarh: The Haryana Government has directed all departments, authorities and public institutions to immediately stop using the terms ‘Harijan’ and ‘Girijan’ in official records and correspondence, stating that these expressions are not recognised under the Constitution of India.
The directive, issued by the Chief Secretary’s Office, has been circulated to all Administrative Secretaries, Heads of Departments, Boards and Corporations, Public Sector Undertakings, Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Sub-Divisional Officers (Civil) and Registrars of universities across the state.
According to the official communication, the Constitution of India does not use the terms ‘Harijan’ or ‘Girijan’ to refer to Scheduled Castes (SCs) or Scheduled Tribes (STs). The state government has also reiterated earlier instructions issued by the Government of India, which clearly mandate that these expressions should not be used in any official dealings.
The government noted during a review that some departments were not strictly following the Central Government’s guidelines on the matter. In view of this non-compliance, all departments and authorities have been instructed to ensure strict adherence to the directions and to discontinue the use of these terms with immediate effect in all official communications.
The move is aimed at ensuring constitutional correctness and uniformity in official language while aligning state practices with central guidelines.
