MoE approves setting up of five Centres of Excellence in classical languages
New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) The Ministry of Education has approved setting up of five Centres of Excellence for studies in classical Assamese, Bengali, Pali, Marathi and Prakrit, according to an official memorandum.
The five centres will be set up to strengthen academic research, digitisation, preservation and dissemination of heritage of these classical languages.
The universities where the Centres of Excellence will be set up are Tezpur University (Assamese), Visva Bharati University (Bengali), Central University of Odisha (Pali), Central University of Gujarat (Prakrit), Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute in Pune (Marathi).
"A proud moment for Odisha and a significant step towards preserving India's rich linguistic heritage. The Ministry of Education's approval of a Centre of Excellence for Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha will strengthen the study, preservation and promotion of Pali, a language deeply connected with India's intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions," Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said in a post on X.
"This Centre will further strengthen Odisha’s contribution to preserving India's civilisational knowledge and linguistic heritage. My congratulations to the Central University of Odisha and everyone associated with this important initiative," he added.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also took to X saying, "A proud moment for every Assamese, in Assam, across India and around the world"
"After Assamese was accorded the status of a classical language, we had been pursuing the establishment of a dedicated centre for its study with the Government of India. I am delighted to share that the Centre has approved the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Assamese at Tezpur University," he said.
"This centre will strengthen research, digitisation, preservation and dissemination of our rich linguistic and literary heritage, so that the glory of our language reaches generations to come," Sarma added.
Maharahstra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also lauded the development, saying, "After the central government decided to grant classical language status to the Marathi language, efforts were underway with the central government to establish the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Marathi".
"I am overjoyed to share that the central government has approved this demand, and permission has been granted to establish the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Marathi at Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute in Pune.
"The state government had already taken up the task of preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for this. With this, the path to submit it to the Centre and secure the necessary funding has now been cleared," he said in a post on X in Marathi.
