In a significant move towards preserving and propagating the rich heritage of the Odia language and literature, the Odisha Government on Wednesday announced a slew of initiatives aimed at both national and international levels.
Odia Language Literature and Culture Minister Aswini Kumar Patra announced the decisions in State Assembly.
At the forefront of these initiatives is the establishment of a substantial corpus of Rs 10 crore to support research in Odia language at both national and international levels. This grant, to be housed in the Odia University at Satyabadi, underscores the government's commitment to fostering academic inquiry and scholarly pursuits in the realm of Odia language and literature.
The decision to allocate the corpus followed the deliberations held during the World Odia Language Conference and consultations with the global Odia diaspora highlighting a collaborative approach to language preservation and promotion.
Furthermore, the government has announced the annual convening of an International Digital Odia Conference aimed at bringing together experts from around the world to explore and promote the Odia language in the digital sphere. This platform will serve as a catalyst for innovation and collaboration in leveraging technology to enhance the reach and impact of Odia language and literature.
To bolster Odia language education, the government plans to recruit exclusive Odia teachers in 1,500 high schools initially and eventually cover all high schools. A syllabus revision committee will also be formed to provide regular suggestions for teaching Odia in schools.
In a bid to preserve heritage, the government will provide a heritage grant of Rs 1 crore in two phases to schools and colleges over 100 years old and Rs 2 crore to universities established before Independence.
Additionally, a translation policy will be introduced offering grants for translating Odia books into other Indian and foreign languages.
The Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies will receive an annual grant of Rs 2 crore to be developed into a centre of excellence.
A medium-term policy will be devised to promote science, technical, and medical education in Odia, including the institution of a Chief Minister's Cup for debating in Odia among students.
The State also plans to expand the printing museum in Cuttack into an Indian Printing Museum showcasing global printing culture.
Efforts will be made to establish Odia chairs in universities across India and abroad with proposals already in process for five universities.
Further, an Odia Learning Management System (LMS) will be developed for Odias residing outside Odisha enabling them to learn the language up to Class-VIII online and obtain certificates.