Which one of the following was given classical language status recently?
- (a) Odia ✓ UPSC's answer
- (b) Konkani
- (c) Bhojpuri
- (d) Assamese
Why the answer is (a)
• Odia was granted classical language status in February 2014, becoming the sixth after Tamil (2004), Sanskrit (2005), Kannada and Telugu (2008) and Malayalam (2013) — option (a).
• Assamese (d) received the status only in October 2024, along with Marathi, Bengali, Pali and Prakrit; Konkani (b) and Bhojpuri (c) have not.
• Hence option (a).
Why the other options are wrong
- (b) Konkani
- Konkani has not been given classical status.
- (c) Bhojpuri
- Bhojpuri has not been given classical status.
- (d) Assamese
- Assamese got the status only in 2024, not at the time of the question.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015, held on 23 August 2015. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.