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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3883
ANSWERED ON 16/03/2026
Promotion of Tamil as a Classical Language
3883. Thiru Dayanidhi Maran:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
a) the total funds allocated and utilised during the last five years for promoting the growth,
research and global dissemination of Tamil as a Classical Language along with similar
details for other languages as well, year-wise and scheme-wise;
b) the details of grants released to the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT) and other
institutions for research, digitisation of manuscripts, translation projects, fellowships
and organisation of international conferences on Tamil studies;
c) whether the Union Government has commissioned any impact assessment to evaluate
the manner in which these funds have strengthened academic research, publications,
global outreach and higher education in Classical Tamil;
d) the steps taken by the Government to promote Tamil language chairs abroad, digital
archives and collaborations with universities to expand Tamil scholarship
internationally; and
e) whether the Government proposes to enhance financial support and institutional
autonomy to ensure sustained growth and preservation of Tamil’s classical heritage?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)
(a) to (e): The Government has undertaken several initiatives for the preservation, promotion
and development of Classical Tamil and other Indian languages through dedicated institutions
and academic programmes. In this regard, the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT),
Chennai, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education, undertakes activities
relating to research, preservation and dissemination of Classical Tamil. Further, the Central
Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, a subordinate office under the Ministry of
Education, undertakes research, documentation, propagation and teaching of Indian languages,
including the classical languages. These initiatives are aligned with the objectives of the
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes multilingualism and the promotion
of Indian languages.
The funds allocated for classical languages are utilised for various initiatives such as
organisation of seminars and workshops, training programmes, Junior Research Fellowships,
Post-Doctoral Fellowships, translation projects and publication-related activities. The year-
wise details of funds allocated for Tamil, Kannada, Odia, Malayalam and Telugu are as under:Year Funds allocated (Rs. in lakhs)
Tamil Kannada Odia Malayalam Telugu
2021-22 1200.00 106.50 58.38 63.97 103.15
2022-23 1200.00 171.75 176.75 186.75 171.75
2023-24 1525.00 154.50 138.50 112.50 154.50
2024-25 1430.00 86.00 86.00 86.00 86.00
2025-26 1697.00 106.50 106.50 106.50 106.50
The Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT) has developed a rich repository of rare
classical resources and possesses over 47,500 collections of Classical Tamil texts, 96,215 palm-
leaf manuscripts and 39,061 paper manuscripts. 2,800 manuscripts have already been digitised,
including palm-leaf manuscript collections of Tolkappiyam, which dates back to around the
third century BCE. Further, 41 ancient Classical Tamil texts have been translated into Hindi
and released during the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0. In addition, the Institute has translated
major classical works such as Tirukkural, Tolkappiyam, Silappatikaram and Manimekalai into
various Indian and foreign languages. The Institute has also established collaborations with
international institutions including the University of Malaya, Eastern University of Sri Lanka
and Frankfurt Tamil Sangam for the global promotion of the Tamil language.
To review the outcomes of initiatives undertaken for the promotion of Classical Tamil,
an assessment mechanism has been devised. The assessment is based on parameters such as
academic and research activities undertaken, translation projects, number of publications,
national and international outreach through seminars, conferences and workshops, and the
number of Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Fellowships awarded.
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