Government Allocates ₹6,000 Crore for Higher Education Textbooks in Indian Languages

In a significant boost to multilingual education, the Central government has earmarked ₹6,000 crore for developing higher education textbooks in various Indian languages. This initiative, announced by Dr. Chandan Srivastava of the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (BBS), aims to produce 2.5 lakh academic books in the coming financial year.

The Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) has been designated as the nodal agency specifically for creating Urdu textbooks under the *National Education Policy* framework. The ambitious project will engage approximately 4.5 lakh teachers and experts from over 1,000 institutions across India, focusing particularly on interactive e-textbooks.

During a workshop at MANUU in Hyderabad, Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan emphasized that the *NEP* creates an environment conducive to understanding Indian Knowledge Systems. Prof. Vibha Sharma of Aligarh Muslim University highlighted Urdu's democratic and inclusive nature, describing it as *"an integral part of India's soul."*

This initiative represents a major step toward implementing the language inclusivity vision outlined in the National Education Policy.