Lok Sabha Question No. 2349 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-01
Subject: Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu, Arvind Kumar Sharma, Chandra Sekhar Bellana, Mitesh Rameshbhai (Bakabhai) Patel, Balashowry Vallabbhaneni, Jagannath Sarkar, Shardaben Anilbhai Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2349

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.08.2022

## Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages

## 2349.    SHRI LAVU SRI KRISHNA DEVARAYALU:

DR. ARVIND KUMAR SHARMA:

SHRI CHANDRA SEKHAR BELLANA:

SHRI MITESH RAMESHBHAI PATEL (BAKABHAI):

SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI:

SHRI JAGANNATH SARKAR:

SHRIMATI SHARDABEN ANILBHAI PATEL:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- a) the number of Indian languages listed as endangered;
- b) the  number  of  languages  that  are  currently  covered  under  'Scheme  for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India' and the number of languages covered under any such scheme from Andhra Pradesh;
- c) whether  the  Government  has  prepared  any  database  of  the  Indian  languages that are on the verge of extinction and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- d) whether the Government has proposed to preserve the endangered languages with the help of new emerging technologies and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- e) the  funds  allocated  and  utilised  in  preservation  of  languages  under  various schemes during the last five years; and
- f) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to save the languages which are endangered or on the verge of extinction?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) to (f): The National Education Policy, 2020 focuses on promotion of all Indian Languages  including  endangered  languages.  The  Government  of  India  has initiated    a  Scheme  known  as  'Scheme  for  Protection  and  Preservation  of

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Endangered  Languages  of  India'  (SPPEL).  Under  this  Scheme,  the  Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru works on protection, preservation and documentation of all the mother tongues/languages of India spoken by less than  10,000  people  which  are  called  endangered  languages.  117  endangered languages/mother tongues have been chosen from all over India for study and documentation  on  a  priority  basis.    The  University  Grants  Commission  (UGC) has also initiated two schemes for  protection of endangered languages,  namely 'Funding Support to the State Universities for Study and Research in Indigenous and Endangered languages in India' and 'Establishment of Centres for Endangered Languages in Central Universities'. There is no centralised data on the  number  of  endangered  languages  in  India.  Materials  produced  by  SPPEL towards the documentation, promotion and preservation of such languages are archived  and  e-content  of  these  languages  such  as  dictionaries,  grammar sketches, audio and visual data are hosted in the website https://www.sppel.org.

Thoti and Gorum languages are covered under SPPEL in Andhra Pradesh by CIIL, Mysuru.

An  amount  of  Rs.48.90  crores  released  by  the  UGC  and  CIIL  under  their Schemes for Protection of Endangered Indian Languages during the years 201516 to 2021-22.

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