New Delhi, Nov 5 (FN Bureau) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the government has taken major initiatives for the preservation, promotion and widespread use of Indian languages. Shah, who was chairing the 32nd meeting of the ‘Kendriya Hindi Samiti’ here, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undertaken several initiatives for the preservation, promotion, and extensive use of Indian languages, making the period from 2014 to 2024 an era dedicated to the protection and promotion of Indian languages. The ‘Kendriya Hindi Samiti’ is the highest body that provides guidelines for the development and promotion of Hindi, an official statement said.In his address, the Home Minister said that recently five more Indian languages were granted classical language status. He highlighted that India is the only country in the world where 11 languages are recognised as classical languages. Shah said Modi has enhanced the importance of Hindi by expressing his views on every international forum in Hindi. Shah stated that this is an inspiring transformation in the direction of language development in India, with the objective of fully harnessing the nation’s potential. “If we want to utilise the full potential of our children and youth for the country’s development, it is essential that they study, analyse, and make decisions in their mother tongue,” Shah said.
He mentioned that the aim of the ‘Kendriya Hindi Samiti’ is to develop Hindi, preserve Hindi literature, and establish it as the country’s link language. Shah noted that under the present government, three major initiatives have been undertaken in the past five years to empower Hindi. The first major step is the creation of the Hindi Shabdsindhu dictionary. He expressed confidence that within the next five years, Shabdsindhu will become the most comprehensive dictionary in the world. Shah said the establishment of the Bhartiya Bhasha Aunbhag (Indian Language Section) is the second significant initiative.According to the senior Minister, the third major initiative is to hold the Official Language Conference in various parts of the country, which will make it easier to understand the importance of the official language. The meeting was attended by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, L Murugan, Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, and others.