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Uttarakhand plans to teach 1 lakh people spoken Sanskrit

Uttarakhand plans to teach 1 lakh people spoken Sanskrit

India Today28-04-2025
According to an official press release, the state government of Uttarakhand will train 1 lakh people to speak "simple" Sanskrit to popularise the language among common people. The training course will be offered online and offline in phases.The officials informed us that the program is aimed at linking Sanskrit, approved as the second state language after Hindi, with job opportunities and also nudging the younger generation to use the language in daily life.advertisementThe proposal was put forth at the 10th session of the General Committee of the Uttarakhand Sanskrit Academy, presided over by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday.
Apart from language training, the program also involves setting up Vedic study centres to encourage the discovery of ancient works written in Sanskrit. A short film competition in Sanskrit on modern themes is also on the cards, officials said.The chief minister pointed out the state's long history of connection with yoga, AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy), sages, and Sanskrit itself during the meeting.He stated, "Debate, essay competitions, and shloka (verse) recitation contests in Sanskrit must also be held in schools and colleges."Pushkar Singh Dhami also suggested that nodal officers be appointed at each district level to monitor the promotion of the language and ordered that "nameplates in all offices must be in Sanskrit."advertisementSanskrit Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat announced that a village in every one of Uttarakhand's 13 districts is being promoted as a 'Sanskrit Gram', an ideal village where the inhabitants will be trained and motivated to speak Sanskrit among themselves.In addition to this, to further consolidate the initiative, he suggested the initiation of a scholarship scheme for Sanskrit students and an incentive program for priests, both to improve the language's access and utility in the entire state.
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