New Delhi. The Education Ministry has approved setting up of five Centers of Excellence for the study of classical traditions of Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit. The objective of these centers is to increase research on the literary and knowledge traditions of the languages, help in preserving historical resources and making them available in digital form.
The center of Classical Assamese will be established in Tezpur University of Assam and the center of Bengali will be established in Visva-Bharati University of West Bengal. Pune-based Deccan College Post Graduate and Research Institute has been selected for the study of Marathi. The center of Pali will be established in Odisha Central University and the center of Prakrit will be established in Gujarat Central University.
According to the ministry, dedicated platforms for advanced research and academic activities will be created in these institutes. Special attention will be given to documentation, preservation and digitization of linguistic and literary resources. Wider access to the knowledge traditions of the respective languages is also one of the key objectives of the Centres.
These centers to be built in five different states will also strengthen regional higher education and research institutions. This initiative will provide institutional support to the study of languages and efforts will be made to preserve their historical literary heritage in the long run.