• Official: Hindi, English
• Survey: Hindi, English

There are 447 local languages in India, but the most common language is Hindi, and it is the official language of the government. English is used extensively in business, administration, and education, having the status of a "subsidiary official language".

India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories. The states of India have been grouped into six zones having an Advisory Council "to develop the habit of cooperative working" among these states. All states, as well as the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, have elected legislatures and governments following the Westminster system of governance. The remaining five union territories are directly ruled by the central government through appointed administrators. In 1956, under the States Reorganization Act, states were reorganized on a linguistic basis. There are over a quarter of a million local government bodies at city, town, block, district and, village levels.