Hindi plays key role in spreading India's knowledge, culture, says PM Modi

New Delhi, Jan 10: Hindi plays an important role in spreading our knowledge and culture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the occasion of World Hindi Day on Monday. The Ministry of External Affairs celebrated the programme on World Hindi Day virtually. The programme was presided over by the Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

During this programme, messages by Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were read out. Extending his best wishes, the prime minister said that Hindi plays an important role in spreading our knowledge and culture due to its simplicity, according to the statement. The PM said that the increasing use of Hindi in the field of information technology and technology as well as its popularity among the youth present a bright future for it.

The External Affairs Minister said in his message that together "we are continuously moving towards our goal of taking Hindi to the global stage". In her remarks, Lekhi said various steps have been taken by the Ministry to promote the study of Hindi abroad. She pointed out that the government has established about 50 Chairs, including 13 Hindi Chairs, in universities abroad to promote Indian languages, culture and studies.

She further said that Hindi language is taught in more than 670 educational institutions in more than 100 countries. Lekhi expressed hope that under the able leadership of Prime Minister Modi and under the guidance of the External Affairs Minister, Hindi will continue to grow at the world stage. The Minister of State for External Affairs also announced the names of three Passport Offices viz., Bareilly, Chandigarh and Bangalore for doing best work in Official Language Hindi. She also announced the award of three best magazines from among the Hindi Home Journals published by Passport Offices.

Secretary (West) Reenat Sandhu, Additional Secretary (Administration) and Dean, Sushma Swaraj Foreign Service Institute, Arun Kumar Chatterjee, senior officials from the Ministry, Passport Offices, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Global Council of India, Office of the Protector of Emigrant, as well as Indian diplomats, were among those who participated in the event. PTI