UGC launches 'ASMITA' project to produce 22,000 books in Indian languages

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission (UGC), and Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti have launched three new initiatives to promote Bharatiya Bhasha in higher education. The launch took place during a workshop on 'Writing of Textbooks in Bharatiya Bhasha for Higher Education,' organised by UGC and Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti.

Secretary of Higher Education, Sanjay Murthy, launched 'ASMITA' initiative, aimed at enhancing study materials in Indian languages through translation and academic writing.

22,000 books in Indian languages in next 5 years

This collaborative effort between the UGC and Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti seeks to establish a strong ecosystem for translating and writing original books in various disciplines within higher education. The initiative aims is to produce 1,000 books in 22 languages over the next five years, totaling 22,000 books in Bharatiya Bhasha.

"This project aims to create a robust ecosystem for translation and original book writing in Indian languages across various disciplines within higher education. The goal is to produce 1,000 books in 22 languages within five years, resulting in 22,000 books in Bharatiya bhasha," UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar said.

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Launch of Bahubhasha Shabdakosh

Additionally, the Secretary introduced the "Bahubhasha Shabdakosh," a comprehensive reference resource for words across all Bharatiya languages, including their meanings. Developed by the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) in partnership with Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, this dictionary aims to facilitate the use of Bharatiya terminology in modern fields such as IT, industry, research, and education.

Thirteen nodal universities have been identified to lead this project, along with member universities from various regions. "The UGC has also created a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the book-writing process in each assigned language. This SOP includes the identification of nodal officers, authors, allocation of title, subject and programme, writing and editing, submission of the manuscript, review and plagiarism check, finalisation, designing, proof-reading and e-publication," Kumar said.