Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker holds meeting on promotion of Punjabi language

Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan held a meeting with MLAs, scholars and language activists on Tuesday for the implementation of Punjabi language in the high court and lower courts of the state in light of the established laws.

Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan held a meeting with MLAs, scholars and language activists on Tuesday for the implementation of Punjabi language in the high court and lower courts of the state in light of the established laws.

andhwan said the Bhagwant Mann-led state government was making constant efforts to give due respect to Punjabi. (HT file photo)

Presiding over the meeting to discuss matters related to promoting the mother tongue, Sandhwan said the Bhagwant Mann-led state government was making constant efforts to give due respect to Punjabi, and the government and private institutions had been urged to have Punjabi as the first language on their signages/boards by February 21.

He said that during the discussion, important ideas came out such as implementing Punjabi in the upper and lower courts, enacting Library Act in the state, linking mother-tongue with employment, improving the Punjabi language proficiency of teachers, use of Punjabi language by bureaucrats and strengthening linguistic institutions. The meeting was attended by education minister Harjot Singh Bains, Vidhan Sabha deputy speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rori and MLAs Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Mohammad Jamil-ur-Rehman, Karambir Singh Ghuman among others.

Language activist and legal scholar Mitter Sen Meet, while referring to the established laws, said that legal work in the Punjabi can be implemented in the Punjab and Haryana High Court through the governor. He said that the implementation of Punjabi language can be ensured in the lower courts by the state government. He also spoke on reviving the Punjab State Language Legislative Commission for the purpose of translation of legal norms. Lakhwinder Singh Johal, president of Punjabi Sahitya Akademi Ludhiana, expressed his views on improving the status of Punjabi at the academic level and connecting the mother tongue with skill development and employment. Sikh historian and scholar Dr Harpal Singh Pannu said teachers should be aware of the nuances of the Punjabi language. He said that Punjabi University and language department should be asked to restart the process of translation in classic form through those persons, who are thoroughly well-versed with Punjab and Punjabi culture. Prof. Arvind, Vice Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, and Virpal Kaur, director, Language Department, Punjab, also hailed the state government decision to promote Punjabi language.