Hindi Diwas 2026: Amit Shah Opens 6th Rajbhasha Conference
Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed Hindi Diwas 2026 and the 6th All India Official Language Conference at Navi Mumbai and gave away the Rajbhasha Kirti Awards.

Why in News
On 14 September 2026 Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed Hindi Diwas 2026 and the 6th All India Official Language Conference at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre in Navi Mumbai, and conferred the Rajbhasha Kirti and Rajbhasha Gaurav Awards.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah was the chief guest at Hindi Diwas 2026. He addressed the 6th All India Official Language Conference from the same platform. The Department of Official Language, which works under the Ministry of Home Affairs, organised the event. It is being held at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, on 14 and 15 September 2026. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attended. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar were also present. Ministers of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar joined them. Anshuli Arya, Secretary of the Department of Official Language, was on the dais.
Hindi Shabd Sindhu crosses 8 lakh words
The Home Minister spoke at length about the dictionary called Hindi Shabd Sindhu. More than 50,000 words taken from local languages have been added to it. The collection has now grown to 8 lakh words. He said it is set to become the largest dictionary in the world by 2029. Words coined by Veer Savarkar are also being entered into it. He described the additions as a step that makes official Hindi more flexible and more inclusive.
Kanthasth 2.0 opened to foreign users
The Minister also spoke about Kanthasth 2.0, a translation tool built on artificial intelligence. Its database holds more than five crore sentences. The tool has now been opened to users outside India. He added that four volumes of the Official Language Committee report have been handed to the President since 2019, and that the fifth volume is ready.
Who won which award
Amit Shah presented the Rajbhasha Kirti Awards and the Rajbhasha Gaurav Awards. The Department of Financial Services took the first prize under Rajbhasha Kirti for the year 2025-26. It won in the category meant for ministries and departments with fewer than 300 employees. Additional Secretary Hari Har Mishra received the award. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances was given the special Rajbhasha Utkrishtata Sammaan. Its Secretary, Nivedita Shukla Verma, accepted the honour. That department had already taken the first Rajbhasha Kirti prize for 2023-24 and again for 2024-25. A department that stands first twice in a row is not given the prize the next year, so a special honour was created to mark its record.
Tilak, Ganesh Utsav and the releases
Hindi Diwas and Ganesh Chaturthi fell on the same day this year. The Home Minister called the overlap a rare and auspicious coincidence. He recalled Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who began the public celebration of Ganesh Utsav in Maharashtra in 1893. He released special editions of the magazine Rajbhasha Bharati and the publication titled 150 Chapters of Vande Mataram.
The day at a glance
| Occasion | Hindi Diwas 2026, observed on 14 September |
| Conference | 6th All India Official Language Conference |
| Venue | CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai |
| Chief guest | Union Home Minister Amit Shah |
| Organiser | Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Dictionary | Hindi Shabd Sindhu, now 8 lakh words |
Important Facts
| Occasion | Hindi Diwas 2026, observed on 14 September |
|---|---|
| Conference | 6th All India Official Language Conference |
| Venue | CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Dates | 14 and 15 September 2026 |
| Chief guest | Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah |
| Organiser | Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Dictionary | Hindi Shabd Sindhu, now 8 lakh words, world's largest by 2029 |
| AI tool | Kanthasth 2.0, database of over five crore sentences |
| Rajbhasha Kirti first prize | Department of Financial Services, for 2025-26 |
| Rajbhasha Utkrishtata Sammaan | Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances |
Exam Point of View
Remember the edition (6th), the venue (CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai), the dates (14 and 15 September 2026), the organiser (Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs), the chief guest (Amit Shah), the size of Hindi Shabd Sindhu (8 lakh words) and the two award winners.
Practice Questions
Where was the 6th All India Official Language Conference, held along with Hindi Diwas 2026, organised?
- A.Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi
- B.CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai
- C.Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
- D.Science City, Ahmedabad
Show answer
Correct answer: B. CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai
Explanation
The correct answer is CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai. The Department of Official Language, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, held the sixth edition of the All India Official Language Conference there together with the Hindi Diwas programme, and the sittings were spread over 14 and 15 September 2026. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah attended as the chief guest and gave away the Rajbhasha Kirti and Rajbhasha Gaurav Awards at the same venue. Option A is wrong because the conference was not held in the national capital this year, and no sitting took place at Vigyan Bhawan. Option C is wrong for the same reason, as the venue was in Maharashtra and not in New Delhi. Option D is wrong because Gujarat did not host the conference; the Home Minister only mentioned that he himself is a Gujarati speaker who has never found Hindi a barrier in national work. Candidates should link the sixth edition firmly with Navi Mumbai, because the venue is the detail most often asked in examinations.
How many words does the dictionary 'Hindi Shabd Sindhu' now contain, according to the Union Home Minister?
- A.2 lakh words
- B.5 lakh words
- C.8 lakh words
- D.12 lakh words
Show answer
Correct answer: C. 8 lakh words
Explanation
The correct answer is 8 lakh words. The Home Minister told the conference that Hindi Shabd Sindhu has now grown to that size, and that it is expected to become the largest dictionary anywhere in the world by 2029. He added that more than 50,000 words drawn from local languages have been folded into it, which he said has made official Hindi more flexible and more inclusive, and that words coined by Veer Savarkar are also being included. Option A is wrong because that figure is far below the size the Minister announced. Option B is also wrong, although candidates sometimes confuse it with the five crore sentences held in the database of the artificial intelligence translation tool Kanthasth 2.0, which is a separate fact from the same speech. Option D is wrong because no such number was mentioned, and the dictionary is expected to keep growing towards the world record only over the next few years. Remember the pair of figures together: 8 lakh words now, and the world's largest dictionary by 2029.
Which department received the first prize under 'Rajbhasha Kirti' for the year 2025-26?
- A.Department of Financial Services
- B.Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
- C.Department of Official Language
- D.Department of Posts
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Department of Financial Services
Explanation
The correct answer is the Department of Financial Services. It was placed first under Rajbhasha Kirti for the year 2025-26 in the category meant for ministries and departments having fewer than 300 employees, and the citation praised its effective use and innovative handling of official Hindi. Additional Secretary Hari Har Mishra collected the award from the Union Home Minister. Option B is wrong, but only just: the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances was given the special Rajbhasha Utkrishtata Sammaan instead, because it had already stood first for two years in a row, in 2023-24 and in 2024-25, and the rules bar a department from taking the prize again in the following year. Option C is wrong because the Department of Official Language is the body that confers these awards rather than a contender for them. Option D is wrong because the postal department was not named among the winners in this release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the 6th All India Official Language Conference held?
At the CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, on 14 and 15 September 2026. Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended as the chief guest.
How many words does Hindi Shabd Sindhu now have?
8 lakh words. More than 50,000 of them came from local languages, and the dictionary is expected to become the largest in the world by 2029.
Which department won the first Rajbhasha Kirti prize for 2025-26?
The Department of Financial Services, in the category for ministries and departments with fewer than 300 employees. Additional Secretary Hari Har Mishra received it.
What is Kanthasth 2.0?
A translation tool based on artificial intelligence, with a database of more than five crore sentences. It has now been opened to users outside India as well.
Sources
- Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah addresses Hindi Diwas 2026 and 6th All India Official Language Conference in Mumbai as Chief Guest (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
- Message of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah on Hindi Diwas 2026 (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
- DFS Wins First Prize under ‘Rajbhasha Kirti’ for 2025-26 at 6th All India Official Language Conference and Hindi Diwas (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
- ‘Rajbhasha Utkrishtata Sammaan’ to Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (opens in a new tab) — Press Information Bureau
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