New Delhi: The Union Education Ministry has approved the establishment of five Centres of Excellence (CoEs) for studies in Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit in a push to preserve linguistic and literary heritage, an official said on Saturday.

The initiative by the Ministry's Department of Higher Education will provide dedicated institutional support for advanced academic research, preservation and digitisation of linguistic and literary heritage, and wider dissemination of knowledge relating to these classical languages, the official said in a statement.

The Classical Assamese COE will come up at Tezpur University in Assam; Classical Bengali at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal; Classical Marathi at Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute (Deemed to be University) in Pune; Classical Pali at Central University of Odisha in Odisha; and Classical Prakrit at Central University of Gujarat in Gujarat.

The establishment of these five centres marks a significant step towards strengthening the institutional ecosystem for the study, research and preservation of India's Classical Languages, the statement said.

The Centres of Excellence will focus on strengthening academic research and scholarship by providing dedicated institutional platforms for advanced research, scholarly work and academic engagement in the respective Classical Languages, it added.

Preservation and digitisation: The centres will support the documentation, preservation and digitisation of linguistic and literary resources, contributing to the long-term conservation of India's rich textual heritage.

Wider dissemination of Classical Language heritage: The centres will facilitate wider access to and dissemination of linguistic, literary and knowledge traditions associated with the respective Classical Languages.

Located across five states — Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha and Gujarat, the centres will strengthen regional ecosystems for higher education, research and scholarship in Classical Languages, the statement said.

The initiative reinforces the Union government's efforts to preserve and promote India's rich linguistic and literary heritage while strengthening institutions of higher education as centres of research and scholarship, it added.

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.