HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal seeks plan to promote local languages

The proposal was seen as a move to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states, especially southern states.

Human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has asked his officials to prepare an action plan on how the various Indian languages across the country can be developed in an integrated manner, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The minister’s instructions come amid a controversy around the three-language formula prescribed in the draft National Education Policy. (HT Photo)

The minister’s instructions come amid a controversy around the three-language formula prescribed in the draft National Education Policy.

The proposal was seen as a move to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states, especially southern states. The contentious paragraph was withdrawn on Monday.

Pokhriyal also stressed on integrating ancient Indian texts with modern-day science. “We should also try to do further research in the wealth of knowledge hidden in our ancient texts and integrate them with modern-day science,” he said. Pokhriyal also directed that the foundation stone of six Indian Institutes of Management, which are in pipeline, should be laid at the earliest.

A senior official said, during a meeting, Pokhriyal ordered initiation of a massive recruitment drive to fill up the vacancies in the higher education sector, estimated to be around five lakh.