Home Min calls for enhancing use of Hindi, launches new software

New Delhi, Sep 14 (UNI) Home Minister Shivraj Patil today called for a much wider use of Hindi in official work and promoting the use of modern technology to enable people to learn the official language more quickly and easily.

Speaking at the 'Hindi Diwas' function here, Mr Patil said although a lot of progress has been achieved in this regard, much more remains to be done. Use of simple Hindi would lead to its wider and faster spread, he added.

A total of 44 awards in the form of shield/cash were given away on this occasion. These included Rajiv Gandhi National Award for Original book writing on Ghyan Vigyan, Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Award and awards for Original Book Writing in Hindi.

A special issue of the quarterly magazine of the Department of Official Language, 'Rajbhasha Bharti' on technology was released at the function. The latest edition of 'compilation of orders regarding the use of Hindi' was also released. The last edition of the compilation was published over 10 years back in 1996.

To modernise the training system and language learning process, different computer software have been developed with the assistance of C-DAC, Pune. These are primarily in the fields of Hindi Teaching through various regional languages (Lila series), translation from English to Hindi (Mantra) and automatic typing out of Hindi dictation/speech (Shrutlekhan) on the computer.

The Lila-Rajbhasha software for learning Hindi through Punjabi, Gujarati, Nepali and Kashmiri and Mantra 'Rajbhasha software for Information Technology and Health Care were launched on the world wide web. The Beta version of Vachantar-Rajbhasha based on Mantra-Rajbhasha were released on the occasion.

Those who attended the function included the Ministers of State Manikrao H. Gavit and Sriprakash Jaiswal, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and Secretary in Department of Official Language Ranjeet Issar.

UNI