Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Chairs Meeting on Promotion of Bharatiya Bhasha in Higher Education

Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan today chaired the 2nd meeting of the Consultative Committee of Parliament for the Ministry of Education, focusing on the theme “Promotion of Education in Bharatiya Bhasha in Higher Education.” The meeting was held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, with the participation of Union Minister of State for Education and Development of the North Eastern Region, Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, senior officials from the Ministry of Education, AICTE, UGC, and Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Pradhan emphasized the Ministry’s comprehensive efforts to promote mother tongue education and integrate Bharatiya Bhashas at all educational levels. He reiterated the government’s vision of making Indian and local languages the primary medium of instruction in the coming years, appreciating initiatives by premier institutes like IITs to introduce technical courses in regional languages. Shri Pradhan also highlighted the role of technology and artificial intelligence in language translation to help students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds better understand educational content.

The Minister stressed that education will play a crucial role in achieving the goal of a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047, calling it a key driver of India’s economic development.

Members of Parliament attending the meeting praised the Ministry’s efforts, especially the Bhasha Sangam initiative that enables students to learn 100 sentences in 22 Indian languages. They shared nostalgic experiences of learning multiple languages during their school days and welcomed the use of AI-based language tools.

Secretaries Shri Sanjay Kumar and Dr. Vineet Joshi presented detailed updates on language promotion efforts. Shri Kumar noted that India has 1,369 mother tongues classified into 121 languages, with 22 included in the Constitution’s 8th Schedule. Dr. Joshi highlighted recent policy initiatives, including Bharatiya Bhasha Utsav and other multilingualism-promoting events, and introduced AI translation tools like Anuvadini and UDAAN.

The meeting also discussed the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti’s constitution and the implementation of the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Pariyojna announced in the Union Budget 2025.

India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 supports this inclusive and culturally rooted approach, encouraging multilingualism across schools and higher education. Various organizations, such as the Central Hindi Directorate, Commission for Scientific & Technical Terminology, and Central Institute of Indian Languages, are actively engaged in these efforts. Additionally, the government has established Centres of Excellence in classical languages and recently accorded Classical Language status to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

The collaborative initiatives by universities and autonomous bodies under the Ministry of Education are set to further strengthen the use of Bharatiya Bhashas, preserving cultural heritage while promoting inclusive education.