New Delhi. Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ chaired a meeting of the Executive Board of the National Urdu Language Development Council in New Delhi today. In the meeting, various issues related to the Council, especially the topic of promotion of Urdu language within and outside the country were discussed.
During the meeting, the Union Human Resource Minister inaugurated the new website of the National Urdu Language Development Council. The activities of NCPUL were presented to the Minister and a vision related to the activities of the Council during the next five years was also presented. During the meeting, the minister stressed that the grants given to non-governmental organizations for the promotion of Urdu language should be fully utilized.
He also advised the members to periodically inspect NGOs to ensure that the grants released are being used in a transparent manner. He also suggested to the members that they should work closely with the Director and Vice President in conducting the activities of the Council and to ensure that the message reaches the general public that the Government is committed to the promotion of Urdu language.
The Minister of Human Resource Development also announced an increase in funding for the Urdu Council. He said that funding for Urdu Council has been increased from Rs 45 crore in the year 2013-14 to Rs 84 crore in the year 2019-20. He said that the 45% increase in funding over five years is significant. The minister said that effective steps should be taken to utilize the increased amount.
It was also decided in the meeting to expand ‘The Paper Mashe Scheme’ which is currently implemented through the University of Kashmir. Under this scheme, 15 lakh rupees are spent every year on training the Kashmiri youth to prepare paper mashe or paper pulp, which is in great demand in the market. During the meeting, sight cards and other agendas were also discussed.