Latest news with #CIIL
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
117 endangered languages being preserved, documented: Kiren Rijiju
New Delhi: As many as 117 endangered languages/mother tongues, spoken by less than 10,000 people, have been chosen from all over India for study and documentation under a Central government scheme, the Rajya Sabha was informed. Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply, said that Bharatavani, a digital knowledge platform dedicated to Indian languages, has represented 77 tribal languages, offering resources across language learning, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, and glossaries. Rijiju said that the Central government is promoting Sanskrit through three Central Universities, which are provided funds as per the requirement and utilisation. The Central government has initiated a scheme known as "Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India (SPPEL) for the preservation of languages, he said. 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. The minister said that the policy of the Government is to promote all Indian languages, including classical languages. He said the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) works for the promotion of all Indian languages, including four classical languages like Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia. Development and promotion of Classical Tamil is done by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai, said the Minister. In 2024-25, Rs 83.50 lakh each were spent on Kannada, Telugu, Odia and Malayalam. During this period, Rs 1,430 lakh were spent on Tamil, he said. Elaborating on steps to promote mother tongues, the minister said, 'The Department of School Education and Literacy has implemented several key initiatives to advance early literacy and multilingual education across India, such as the development of 117 primers in 22 Scheduled and 99 Non-Scheduled languages, along with 52 additional primers in local and mother tongues by NCERT and CIIL.' The government has taken several initiatives to promote Indian languages in higher education and technical fields, the Minister said. The AICTE has provided engineering textbooks in 12 Indian languages. The first Marathi-medium engineering batch from Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (Pune), graduated successfully, he said. Major exams like NET, CTET, NEET, JEE, CUET, and SSC are now conducted in 12 Indian languages. Additionally, the UGC allows students to write exams in local languages, irrespective of the medium of instruction, he said.
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- The Hindu
CIIL to launch mobile app for learning 22 Indian languages
Shailendra Mohan, Director of CIIL, Mysuru, on Thursday announced two major initiatives to be launched by the end of this month - a mobile app for learning 22 Indian languages which will eventually expand to other mother tongues, and an AI-based language assessment system enabling nationwide proficiency testing. Presiding over the 57th foundation day of CIIL here, Mr. Mohan highlighted CIIL's technological advancements, including machine translation tools, text-to-speech systems, and multilingual corpora accessible via Mr. Mohan shared details about the translation of 'The Constitution of India' into 11 Indian languages and reaffirmed CIIL's dedication to linguistic diversity and its pivotal role in national language planning. Udaya Narayana Singh, former Director, CIIL, in his keynote address, spoke on the future of language and literature studies in India, and the urgent need for indigenous linguistic data to fuel Artificial Intelligence (AI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and speech technology. He urged linguists to enrich Indian language archives and begin engaging in creative literature writing. Mr. Singh also advocated for the creation of a Museum of Voices to support endangered and tribal languages, and called for multilingual education in line with NEP-2020, culturally sensitive AI, and mobile applications for minority languages. He stressed using voice interfaces for non-literate users and proposed multilingual diagnostic tools to address the mental health issues of youth. Mr. Singh spoke on underexplored domains such as Forensic Linguistics and language in law, and laid out a 20-year vision blending cultural heritage with digital innovation for CIIL's future growth. Vice-chancellor of Deccan College, Pune, Prasad Joshi; Founder-Director of CIIL D.P. Pattanayak; and former Directors of CIIL Rajesh Sachdeva and C.G. Venkatesh Murthy also spoke at the event.
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Centre urged to strengthen CIIL for protection and promotion of language studies
G.K. Panikkar, director, International School of Dravidian Linguistics, Thiruvananthapuram, on Thursday said that the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, has the potential to become the world's topmost institution in the field of language-related study and research and in finding out solutions to language-related problems. 'For sustainable development of Indian languages and for protection of the cultural ethos of Indian people, I appeal to the Government of India to strengthen the CIIL, giving it necessary freedom, and academic, financial and administration support,' he said, in his address as the chief guest at the 57th foundation day of the CIIL here. Mr. Panikkar praised the CIIL for its work in the protection and documentation of minor languages. Almost all tribal languages of India, including those with less than 10,000 speakers had been analysed by CIIL researchers, who prepared grammars and lexicons for them, he explained. He further said that textbooks were prepared for primary classes to enable tribal students to have their early education in their own mother tongue itself, and then switch over to the major language of their respective regions. 'As a part of CIIL's role to promote multilingualism and its efforts for the effective implementation of the three-language formula, school teachers were trained in different languages — especially South Indian languages to the teachers of North Indian states,' he stated. 'I think this project successfully continues even now by expanding its scope to all the major languages of the country. It now trains teachers in second language teaching methodologies providing them with linguistics orientation,' he added. He said that the application of AI and other technological innovations may also be helpful to CIIL for solving many of our present-day problems. Similarly, steps towards equipping one's mother tongue for higher education such as the preparation of dictionaries of science terms in regional languages and so on are the need of the hour, he added. On the occasion, the 'Bhasha Sanchika' portal — a digital language repository of CIIL, which is described as a pioneering platform where language preservation, dissemination, and technology converges, was launched. The launch of the Bhasha Sanchika (Language Archive of India) marks a significant milestone in CIIL's ongoing efforts to safeguard India's linguistic diversity. Developed using D-Space, a widely adopted open-source digital asset management system, the portal serves as a resource hub for the promotion, documentation, and preservation of Indian languages and cultural heritage, according to CIIL. CIIL Director Shailendra Mohan presided over the event. Former CIIL Directors, language experts, and other dignitaries were present. The inaugural event was followed by panel discussions.
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
CIIL to launch ‘Bhasha Sanchika' in Mysuru on July 17
Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, will be launching the 'Bhasha Sanchika' or Language Archive of India — a comprehensive digital language repository to preserve the country's rich linguistic heritage, during the institute's 57th foundation day celebrations here on Thursday. The repository is a pioneering platform where language preservation, dissemination, and technology converge. The launch of the 'Bhasha Sanchika' marks a significant milestone in CIIL's ongoing efforts to safeguard India's linguistic diversity, the institute said. Developed using 'D-Space', a widely adopted open-source digital asset management system, the portal serves as a vibrant resource hub for the promotion, documentation, and preservation of Indian languages and its cultural heritage, a press release said. The initiative aims for long-term preservation and secure storage of linguistic and cultural data; enhancement of the digital visibility of Indian languages and mother tongues; provision of access to linguistic content in multiple formats, including text, image, audio, and video; and development of language technologies, pedagogical tools, and other linguistic resources, the release stated. 'Bhasha Sanchika' hosts an extensive array of materials sourced from various CIIL schemes and projects, it added. ''Bhasha Sanchika' stands as a comprehensive digital repository aligned with key national initiatives such as NEP-2020, Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, Digital India, and Atma Nirbhar Bharat. More than a preservation tool, it is a catalyst for research, education, and the digital promotion of Indian languages, helping ensure that the country's linguistic wealth thrives in the modern age,' said Sujoy Sarkar, academic coordinator of CIIL's 57th foundation day celebrations.
The Hindu
30-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Promote mother tongue-based instruction, says CIIL director
The Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, through its National Testing Service–India (NTS-I), organised a one-day orientation programme on 'Basics of testing and evaluation in Kannada with reference to NEP 2020', here on Monday. The programme was specially designed for final-year students from the Government College of Teacher Education (GCTE) here. Speaking at the inauguration, H.N. Geethambha, principal and joint director, GCTE, stressed the importance of assessment and teaching in the learning process and urged students and teachers to adopt reflective teaching practices. Pankaj Dwivedi, assistant director, CIIL and officer in charge of NTS-I, highlighted the relevance of NEP-2020, especially in reference to importance of assessment in contemporary classrooms. He advocated a balanced approach that integrates traditional and modern assessment methods. Dr. Dwivedi encouraged participants to remain committed to lifelong learning and assured continued academic support from the CIIL. P.R. Dharmesh Fernandez, Deputy Director, CIIL, outlined the institute's initiatives in language education and research, including teacher training, language documentation, and multilingual resource development. Presiding over the valedictory session, Shailendra Mohan, Director, CIIL, called upon future educators to embrace the vision of Viksit Bharat by promoting mother tongue-based instruction to boost cognitive development and foster inclusive education. Over 95 students and teachers participated in the programme.
