Urdu language is the cultural heritage of all Indians and does not belong to a particular religion, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said today as he emphasised on communication in regional languages.
"It is very important to communicate with the people in their own language...Urdu language is a cultural heritage of all Indians. It does not belong to one religion, but to the entire country," he said while inaugurating Indian Institute of Mass Communication's (IIMC) PG Diploma course in Urdu Journalism here.
He said Urdu journalism, which played an important role in the freedom struggle, is an integral part of the media and communication landscape of the country.
The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister called upon the institute to strive for journalism courses in all Indian languages in order to cater to the communication needs of the citizens across the country.
He also congratulated IIMC for starting courses in two regional languages-- Marathi and Malayalam.
Stating that he was "not against English", the minister said communication in English was "not mass communication but a class communication".
Meanwhile, to a query regarding Opposition's demand for presenting the Budget after the polls, he said the Budget is a "regular and annual" affair and is not state-specific, but for the entire country.
"The Opposition is rattled because they realise that they are losing elections. They have no issues and are trying to divert the attention of the people on flimsy grounds. They try to make issues out of nothing. Now, they are talking about Budget and social security. Social security is very much need of the country," he said.
Stressing that students aspiring to become journalists must ensure that news and views were not mixed, he urged them to keep abreast with the latest developments, new technology and modes of communication and inculcate the habit of reading to remain relevant and effective.
Naidu also inaugurated the 67th diploma course in Development Journalism and launched the IIMC Journal 'Communicator'.
The 67th batch of Development Journalism course at IIMC has 23 scholars (12 females and 11 males) from 19 different countries.
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