J-K Urdu promotion council to be set up

A high-level committee for the promotion of Urdu has given its nod for setting up of Jammu and Kashmir Urdu Promotion Council for development and promotion of the language in the state.
"The high-level committee headed by chief secretary M I Khanday gave its concurrence to the proposal of the sub-committee regarding setting up of Urdu Promotion Council for the holistic and comprehensive development and promotion of the language in the state," an official spokesman said here today.
The sub-committee under Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture, constituted to look into the issue of setting up of an Urdu Academy, proposed a State Council for Promotion of Urdu Language instead.

The Council, as per the proposal, will be an autonomous organisation with the Chief Minister as its chairman and other members of proven literary calibre, besides the Minister for Culture.
The high-level committee also gave its concurrence to yet another proposal aimed at incorporating necessary provisions in the recruitment rules for direct-entry posts in various departments where knowledge of Urdu language is required to ensure proper and effective service delivery, the spokesman said.
While reviewing a report submitted by one of the sub-committees regarding requirement of Urdu, Dogri and Kashmiri language teachers in government schools, the committee gave a further one-month time to the sub-committee to finalise the actual number of such teachers required, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the chief secretary asked the sub-committees for formulating the reports in both Urdu and English languages.