Itanagar, Sep 25 (PTI): Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Wednesday that his government will provide land for the establishment of a regional centre of Kendriya Hindi Sansthan in the state.
Addressing the silver jubilee celebrations of the Hindi department of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) near here, Khandu said that his government’s proposal for the establishment of a regional centre of Kendriya Hindi Sansthan in the state has been accepted by the Centre and now sufficient and suitable land has to be provided for it.
The event was also attended by Kendriya Hindi Sansthan Director Professor Sunil Baburao Kulkarni.
“Arunachal Pradesh is the only state in the Northeast that has adopted Hindi as its lingua franca. To enhance the quality of the spoken language, a regional centre of the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan needs to be established here,” the chief minister said.
The Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, an autonomous organisation under the Union education ministry with its headquarters in Agra, runs eight regional centres, with three of those in the Northeast — Guwahati, Shillong and Dimapur.
“I promise to Professor Kulkarni that the process for locating the plot of land will be started immediately,” Khandu assured.
Congratulating the Hindi department of the central varsity on the completion of 25 years of its existence and churning out Hindi language scholars, Khandu said that students of the department have excelled in their fields like poetry, storytelling, novel writing, among others.
Khandu said that in Arunachal Pradesh, Hindi plays a pivotal role in uniting the diverse ethnic texture of the state.
“Yes, our Hindi may not be of the purest form but it’s the sole medium of communication between different tribes and communities of the state. All other northeastern states have their one common language of communication except Arunachal Pradesh. So, we developed our own Hindi and perfectly communicated with each other,” he said.
Khandu encouraged RGU to take an active role in refining and polishing the Hindi spoken by the people of the state.
“By enhancing it, we can further strengthen our connection with the rest of India and establish Arunachal Pradesh as a significant centre for Hindi learning and promotion,” he said.
Khandu said that the widespread use of Hindi in Arunachal Pradesh has opened doors for many talented individuals in the entertainment industry, especially in Bollywood and Hindi singing reality shows on national television.
“Our command over the language has allowed Arunachalis to showcase our state’s talent on the national stage. Strengthening our Hindi language skills will continue to unlock more opportunities for our people in diverse fields across India,” the chief minister added.