NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday directed the Urdu Academy to coach IAS aspirants in Urdu so that the language could be treated on par with English and Hindi.
The announcement came after Sisodia, also the Minister for Art, Culture and Languages, interacted with toppers of the Urdu subject hailing from various universities from Delhi.
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In a statement, the Delhi government said, there was a general concern around students not preferring Urdu as their medium due to the lack of study material provided in the language, in their respective colleges.
“Another concern around Urdu not being a favoured stream of study amongst students and scholars alike was the collective perception that it’s not a job-oriented stream.”
“Urdu Academy should start providing coaching to interested students,” the Deputy Chief Minister said, adding that the Academy should coach IAS aspirants in Urdu subjects.
“Study material in Urdu will soon be made available to students who want to write their papers in the medium. In the way English and Hindi are treated as the standard language of teaching and study, Urdu language will also be treated at par with them.” Sisodia said.
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Dignitaries from the Delhi government, along with Urdu Academy Vice-Chairman Professor Shehpar Rasool, were also present at the event.
Students excelling in the field of Urdu were awarded at the event, a government statement said. They represented Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawahar Lal Nehru, District Institute of Education and Training and Maharishi Valmiki College of Education, it added.
Sisodia also interacted with Urdu toppers from various universities from across the national capital.
Remarks Laden with politics?
The Urdu pitch by the AAP government comes at a time when the Centre is being accused of imposing Hindi on the entire country, especially non-Hindi speaking states in the South and the Northeast.