Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], October 3 : Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday welcomed the Ministry of Education's approval for establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha, describing it as a significant step towards preserving India's linguistic and cultural heritage.
The Ministry of Education has approved the establishment of five Centres of Excellence for studies in Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit.
According to the Ministry, the initiative aims to strengthen academic research, digitisation, preservation and dissemination of the heritage of the five classical languages.
Welcoming the approval, Odisha CM Majhi said the Centre of Excellence for Classical Pali would strengthen the study, preservation and promotion of the language, which is closely associated with India's intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions.
"A proud moment for Odisha and a significant step towards preserving India’s rich linguistic heritage. The Ministry of Education’s approval of a Centre of Excellence for Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha will strengthen the study, preservation and promotion of Pali, a language deeply connected with India’s intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions," Majhi wrote on X.
https://x.com/MohanMOdisha/status/2106255671876571611
He further wrote, “The Centre would further strengthen Odisha's contribution to preserving India's civilisational knowledge and linguistic heritage. My congratulations to the Central University of Odisha and everyone associated with this important initiative.”
As per the official notification, the Centre of Excellence for Classical Assamese will be established at Tezpur University in Assam, while the Centre for Classical Bengali will be established at Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal.
 The Centre of Excellence for Classical Marathi will be established at Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute (Deemed to be a university) in Pune, Maharashtra.
 The Central University of Odisha will host the Centre of Excellence for Classical Pali, while the Centre for Classical Prakrit will be established at the Central University of Gujarat.
 The five Centres of Excellence are expected to provide a dedicated institutional framework for research and scholarship in the respective classical languages, while supporting efforts to preserve and disseminate their literary and cultural heritage.