The Union Ministry of Education has approved five new Centres of Excellence dedicated to Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit. The initiative is intended to strengthen research, preservation, digitisation and dissemination of India’s linguistic and literary heritage.
Institutional support for five languages
The Department of Higher Education said the centres will provide dedicated academic infrastructure for advanced study of the five classical languages. They will be located in higher educational institutions and are expected to support research as well as preservation initiatives.
Digitisation and wider access
A major policy objective is to preserve manuscripts, texts and related knowledge while making scholarly material more accessible through digitisation. Such work can help connect traditional scholarship with contemporary academic tools.
Why the policy matters
Classical-language policy is not limited to symbolic recognition. Long-term preservation requires trained scholars, institutional funding, archives and modern digital infrastructure. Dedicated centres can provide continuity for this work.
Implementation next
The effectiveness of the initiative will depend on staffing, research programmes, funding and collaboration among universities and scholars.
Source: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Education, October 3, 2026.
