The Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission (UGC) announced on Tuesday the launch of a project to develop 22,000 books in Indian languages over the next five years.

Named ASMITA (Augmenting Study Materials in Indian Languages through Translation and Academic Writing), the initiative was inaugurated by Sanjay Murthy, Secretary of Higher Education. It is a joint effort between the UGC and the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, a committee under the ministry aimed at promoting Indian languages in education.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan highlighted the significance of this launch, stating that ASMITA, along with initiatives like Bahubhasha Shabdkosh and Real-time Translation Architecture, will enhance learning in Indian languages, support academic endeavors, and preserve India’s linguistic traditions.

UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar outlined the project’s objectives, aiming to create a robust ecosystem for translating and producing original books across various disciplines in higher education. The goal is to develop 1,000 books in each of the 22 scheduled languages within the next five years, totaling 22,000 books.

Thirteen universities have been designated as nodal centers to lead this effort, with participation from member universities across different regions. Kumar also detailed the standard operating procedure (SOP) established by the UGC for the book-writing process, encompassing authorship, manuscript submission, review, and e-publication.

Additionally, the ministry introduced “Bahubhasha Shabdakosh,” a comprehensive dictionary of words from all Indian languages, developed in collaboration with the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) and the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti. This initiative aims to standardize terminology across diverse domains such as IT, industry, research, and education.

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