CHENNAI: The State government has uploaded the Tamil version of Part I of the report of the High-Level Committee on Union-State Relations, which was tabled in the Assembly. However, the complete English version has not been made available online, citing copyright concerns.
Officials stated that the soft copy of the English version could not be hosted on the official website as certain publishing entities had raised copyright objections. Consequently, only select portions in English, including Chief Minister MK Stalin's foreword and a summary of the Committee's recommendations, have been uploaded.
The absence of the full English version has drawn criticism from readers outside Tamil Nadu, particularly students and graduates who depend on online access. V Babu from Nagari in Andhra Pradesh said he was unable to access the complete English document online and urged the government to translate and upload it in Telugu.
Responding to the concerns, Public Secretary to the Government Reeta Harish Thakkar said the English version could not be uploaded owing to copyright restrictions. "We have uploaded the Tamil version of the document. Some publishing units have raised copyright issues, so we did not upload the soft copy of the English version," she said.
An "Important Notice" printed on the second page of the Tamil edition states that the report may be reproduced or published in Tamil, either in full or in part, provided the source is acknowledged, and no alterations are made. The permission applies only to the Tamil edition, and any unauthorised use could invite legal action.
The Part I report comprises ten chapters covering subjects such as the Governor, delimitation, elections, education, health and Goods and Services Tax. Meanwhile, the government has initiated steps to translate the report into other Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Odia, Punjabi and Assamese.