History/Society · 8 Sep 2026

Urdu second official language Uttar Pradesh

Consider the following statements regarding the Urdu language in Uttar Pradesh:

  1. Urdu was declared the second official language of Uttar Pradesh in 1989.
  2. As per Census data, the number of Urdu speakers in Uttar Pradesh increased between 2001 and 2011.
  3. The Uttar Pradesh Urdu Akademi was established in 1972.
A1 only
B1 and 3 only
C2 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
This question is based on: Lucknow's Oldest Urdu Bookstore Is Moving. So Is the Language Itself.
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 8 Sep 2026
About this question

Why in news

The relocation of Lucknow's 85-year-old Danish Mahal bookstore has drawn attention to Urdu's institutional and cultural decline in Uttar Pradesh, against a backdrop of falling Census numbers and a defunct state Urdu Akademi.

Why for UPSC

This tests whether aspirants can distinguish between Urdu's stable constitutional status and its declining ground-level reality - a classic UPSC trap where current-affairs coverage of "decline" is checked against precise Census-linked facts rather than an assumed narrative.

Prelims summary

Urdu has been Uttar Pradesh's second official language since 1989 and the state's Urdu Akademi dates to 1972 - yet Census data shows Urdu speakers actually declined between 2001 and 2011, underlining a persistent gap between formal recognition and lived institutional support.

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