Centre forms high powered committee to promote Indian languages

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Education has formed a high powered committee for promoting Indian languages under the chairmanship of Chamu Krishna Shastry, Padma Shri Awardee.

“The mandate of this committee would be to explore and recommend pathways for the holistic and multidisciplinary growth of lndian Languages as envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020,” an official letter sent by the ministry to the chairman said.

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The committee will also advise the education ministry on all issues applying to revitalization of existing language teaching and research, and its extension in several institutions in the country, the letter said.

Ex-officio members of the committee are Joint Secretary (Languages), Ministry of Education; Director, CIIL, Mysuru; and Vice Chancellor, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University, New Delhi, Member Secretary.

The High Powered Committee may:

• Appoint sub committees or study groups to perform the assigned tasks
• Organize seminars, workshops, conferences, webinars to highlight the need for the promotion of Indian languages
• Interact and coordinate with any institution of the Central or State Government dealing with teaching, research. Extension or promotion of languages which the Committee may feel relevant towards completion of the task

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The letter further stated that Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University, (SLBSNSU) would provide secretarial support and space to house the High Powered Committee and meet the expenditure on its meeting.

Appointment of consultants and experts, scholars, officials or young professionals for this committee may be done by the university on short term basis as per requirement of the High Powered Committee and following rules or regulations.

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The university will conduct seminars, workshops, webinars, etc. in accordance with rules/regulations, as per the recommendations of the High Powered Committee, the letter further said.

“The tasks entrusted as per above require sustained engagement with concemed stakeholders, the Committee may submit a road map and provide periodic reports on the same in the time frame of two years in the first instance,” the letter concluded.