ABREVIATIONS L2 MLE MT NCERT NCF Second Language Multilingual Education Mother Tongue National Council for Education, Research, and Training National Curriculum Framework REFERENCES Agnihotri R. K. (2007) Identity and Multilinguality: The Case of India in Language Policy, Culture and Identity in Asian Contexts, Edited by Amy B.M. Tsui and James W. Tollefson, Lawrence Erlbaum, 2007 Benson (2005) Mother Tongue Based Teaching and Education for Girls UNESCO Advocacy Brief Benson, C.J. (2002) “Real and Potential Benefits of Bilingual Programmes in Developing Countries,” International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 5(6), 303-317. Cummins, J. (1979) Cognitive/academic language proficiency, linguistic interdependence, the optimum age question and some other matters. Working Papers on Bilingualism, No. 19, 121-129. Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power, and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters Dekpit & Kemmelfield 1985 Jhingran, 2005 Language Disadvantage: the Learning Challenge in Primary Education, APH Publishing Corporation: New Delhi, Mohanty, Ajit K. 1990. "Psychological consequences of mother tongue maintenance and multilingualism in India." In Pattanayak, D. P. (editor). 1990.Multilingualism in India. Clevendon, Avon, England Mohanty 2005 Perpetuating Inequality: Language Disadvantage and Capability Deprivation of Tribal mother Tongue Speakers in India Paper presented in Cornell Conference on Language and Poverty, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA, October 14-16, 2005 Mohanty (2006) Multilingualism of the Unequals and Predicaments of Education in India: Mother Tongue or Other Tongue? Chapter 13 Ed, Garcia and Skutnabb Kangas