Union HRD Minister stresses on importance of creating Sanskrit-speaking villages

HRD Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' Thursday said at least two Sanskrit-speaking villages must be developed near the central institutes promoting and preserving the language.

Chairing a meeting with heads of central language institutions here on Thursday, Pokhriyal said these language institutions must be fundamentally strong and efficient.

Pokriyal said all vacancies need to be filled to promote all Indian languages effectively.

He directed ministry officials to meet heads of these institutions on a regular basis.

He said highly qualified Sanskrit teachers/professors should be engaged to give new dimensions to the language.

Later, he stressed on the importance creating at least two Sanskrit-speaking villages near institutions promoting and preserving the language in the country and abroad.

Minister of State, HRD, Sanjay Dhotre attended the meeting.

The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha in Delhi and the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha in Tirupati are the three central institutes promoting the more than 3,500-year-old language.

The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan has 13 campuses while state governments have their respective institutes.

At the meeting, Pokhriyal said literature in varied Indian languages must be translated into other languages so as reach a large base of readers.

He said in the coming years the ministry will establish 'Bhasha Bhawan', in which all Indian language institutes will have an office.

Meanwhile, Pokhriyal will be on a two-day Uttarakhand visit, starting Friday.

Pokhriyal, who was re-elected from Haridwar in the recent Lok Sabha polls, will offer prayers at Har Ki Pauri, said state BJP media head Devendra Bhasin.

The former Uttarakhand chief minister will visit Kedarnath and Badrinath temples on Saturday morning, before going to the state BJP office in Dehradun, Bhasin said.

This will be Pokhriyal's first visit to the state after the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.