Bhubaneswar, Oct 3: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has congratulated the Central University of Odisha (CUO) following the Ministry of Education’s approval to establish a Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Pali at the university.
Describing the development as a proud moment for Odisha and an important step towards preserving India’s linguistic heritage, Majhi said the proposed centre would strengthen the study, preservation and promotion of Pali.
The centre is aimed at promoting academic research and supporting the digitisation, preservation and wider dissemination of the rich linguistic and cultural heritage associated with the language.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister said Pali has deep connections with India’s intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions.
He added that the new centre would further enhance Odisha’s contribution to preserving the country’s civilisational knowledge and linguistic heritage.
The Ministry of Education’s approval is part of an official memorandum issued by the Department of Higher Education’s Language Division on October 1. The memorandum provides for the establishment of five Centres of Excellence dedicated to the study of classical languages.
Under the initiative, Tezpur University in Assam will host the Centre of Excellence for Classical Assamese, while Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal will focus on Classical Bengali. The Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Pune will host the centre for Classical Marathi, the Central University of Odisha will house the centre for Classical Pali, and the Central University of Gujarat will host the centre for Classical Prakrit.
