In a first, Delhi's Sanskrit academy panel to be chaired by

The Delhi government has reconstituted the Sanskrit academy with more female members and DU professor Kanta Rani Bhatia becoming the first woman to chair the committee.
The new committee brings together a varied range of scholars, academics and practitioners associated with the language.
"For the first time, the committee will be chaired by a woman, Kanta Rani Bhatia who is the vice chairperson of the academy and a professor in Delhi University," an official statement said.
"Almost half the members of this new Sanskrit academy are women. The Sanskrit Academy will work to generate an interest in the language and expand its influence to a wider audience," it added.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, "In order to keep the language alive, we need to make it more accessible and relatable. Unfortunately, we often get caught up in teaching the grammar at the cost of content".
The Delhi government also plans to start 70 Sanskrit centres across the city.
Members of the newly reconstituted Sanskrit academy include some of the best known scholars and researchers of the language such as Ashutosh Dayal Mathur of St Stephen's College, Balram Shukla - who is also a scholar in Persian, Pankaja Ghai Kaushik of Lady Shriram College and Baldevanand Sagar.