Lok Sabha Question No. 171 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-03
Subject: Status of Classical Language
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Sambhajirao Mane Dhairyasheel, Hemant Patil, Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Ranjeetsingh Naik Nimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 171 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.02.2020

## STATUS OF CLASSICAL LANGUAGE

171.   SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE:

SHRI HEMANT SRIRAM PATIL:

DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

## SHRI RANJEETSINGH HINDURAO NAIK NIMBALKAR:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  Indian  languages  which  have  been  accorded  the  classical language status;
- (b)   whether  the  Government  has  implemented  any  schemes  to  provide  financial assistance to various projects of classical language and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the funds provided for each classical language during each of the last three years, language-wise;
- (d)   whether  the  Government  has  received  any  proposal  regarding  the  classical language projects during the last three years; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government thereon?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR CULTURE & TOURISM (PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

- (a) There  are  six  Indian  languages  namely;  Tamil,  Sanskrit,  Telugu  Kannada Malayalam, Odia which have been accorded Classical Language status.
- (b)&(c)   For Sanskrit language, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (RSKS), New Delhi under Human Resource  Development  (HRD)  Ministry,  has  been  established  as  the nodal authority for promoting the language.

For  Classical  Telugu  and  Classical  Kannada,  HRD  Ministry  has  established Centres of Excellence for Studies in respective languages in Central Institute of Indian Languages (CllL), Mysore during 2011.

In  respect  of  Classical  Tamil  Language,  an  autonomous  organization  namely, Central  Institute  of  Classical  Tamil  (CICT),  Chennai  has  been  established  at Chennai by HRD Ministry.

ln addition, University Grants Commission has approved a Centre for Classical Languages  in  Telugu  in  University  of  Hyderabad  and  a  Centre  for  Classical Languages in Kannada in Central University of Karnataka.

Details  of  grants  released/allocated  by  the  Ministry  of  Human  Resource Development to RSKS, CICT and CIIL which are working for the promotion of classical Languages, is as under :-

(In lakh)

|   No. | Institute                             | Language   |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |
|-------|---------------------------------------|------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|     1 | Rashtirya Sanskrit Sansthan           | Sanskrit   |   19831.1 |     21438 |     23115 |
|     2 | Central Institute of Classical Tamil  | Tamil      |    1059   |       465 |       770 |
|     3 | Central Institute of Indian Languages | Telugu     |     100   |        99 |       107 |
|     3 |                                       | Kannada    |     100   |        99 |       107 |

- (d)&(e)   HRD  Ministry is considering setting up  of  establishment  of Centres  of Excellence for Classical Odia and Classical Malayalam.

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