Parliament Question: Preservation of Knowledge of Endangered Tribal Languages

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1914 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.12.2025 PRESERVATION OF KNOWLEDGE OF ENDANGERED TRIBAL LANGUAGES 1914. SMT. PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA: Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken initiatives to digitize, document and preserve knowledge of endangered tribal languages, if so, the details thereof; (b) the initiatives led by the Government to use advanced technology such as artificial intelligence tools; and (c) whether the Government is taking initiatives to promote tribal literature and create platforms for tribal authors, if so, the details thereof especially to support emerging literary talent? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRIBAL AFFAIRS (SHRI DURGADAS UIKEY) (a) to (c): Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India under the Centrally Sponsored scheme ‘Support to Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs)’ extends financial support to 29 Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) in States/Union Territories (UTs) on the basis of the Annual Action Plan submitted by the States/UTs subject to the approval of the Apex Committee chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs. Under the scheme, proposals relating to, inter-alia research & documentation activities and training & capacity building programmes, organization of tribal festivals, yatras for promotion of unique cultural heritage and tourism and organisation of exchange visits by tribals are organised so that their cultural practices, languages and rituals are preserved and disseminated. TRIs are primarily institutions under the administrative control of the State Government/UT Administration. Under the scheme, funds are also provided for/to: i. Publishing Varnamala, local rhymes, and stories in tribal languages. ii. Publishing books, journals on different tribal languages to promote tribal literature. iii. Translation and publication of Training module about Sickle cell Anaemia disease Awareness and Counselling Modules and Diagnosis & Treatment Module and other Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material in relevant Tribal languages/Dialects. Further, considering the urgent need to safeguard tribal languages, the Ministry developed Adi Vaani platform and launched beta version of the App on 1st September 2025 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi for expert review and public feedback from the ground level. Adi Vaani is a pioneering, AI- powered translation tool dedicated to the protection, promotion, and revitalization of India’s rich tribal linguistic heritage and culture. Tribal languages embody rich traditions and unique worldviews but face the threat of extinction due to limited documentation and generational transmission gaps. The AI based translation tool aims to address these challenges by leveraging technology to ensure systematic digitization, preservation, and promotion of these languages. Adi Vaani translation tool is an innovation developed atnearly one-tenth the cost of commercial platforms by integrating cutting-edge technology with authentic linguistic data collected by State Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) and has been designed with a feedback system to promote continuous improvement through community participation. The Adi Vaani App will help in preservation of Endangered Languages by creating a lasting digital archive for tribal languages, preserving them for future generations and research. It will position India as a leader in AI-driven preservation of endangered languages, setting a model for other nations. In addition, recognizing tribal literature as a powerful medium to amplify the voices of marginalized communities and foster inclusivity in national discourse, the Ministry has also conducted two-day National Tribal Literary festival in Delhi. The initiative marked a continuous effort of the Ministry toward community-driven development and cultural empowerment. The event provides a platform for panel discussions, poetry recitations, storytelling sessions, and exhibitions bringing together tribal writers, artists, researchers, and policymakers from across the country marking a historic milestone in the ongoing journey of cultural rejuvenation and social justice. Moreover, as informed, for the promotion of endangered/tribal languages, a project ‘Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages (SPPEL)’ has been initiated by the Ministry of Education under the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru in 2013. The Institute with the help of Core Committee identified 117 languages in its first phase to work upon in step wise manner. SPPEL aims to document the language & culture of the mother tongues/languages of India spoken by less than 10,000 speakers by developing primers, bi/trilingual dictionaries (electronic and print formats), grammatical sketches, pictorial glossaries and ethno-linguistic profile of the community. List of the 117 languages are attached herewith as Annexure I. Bhasha Sanchika, the digital language repository of the CIIL, where language preservation, dissemination, and technological advancement converge in a pioneering initiative. The primary objectives of the archive portal is to provide Indian linguistic resources in diverse formats - text, image, audio, and video; Aiding in creating language technology resources, language pedagogy materials, and other language-related products and services. Kindly see Annexure II, the language covered under Sanchika. The details available in the following link: https://sanchika.ciil.org/home CIIL, in collaboration with NCERT, has developed 128 Primers for 116 Indian languages. Out of which, 119 primers for 110 Indian languages have been released by the Ministry. Kindly see Annexure III. The details are available in the following link: https://ciil.org/primers_book.Annexure I Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages (SPPEL) List of Endangered Languages Zone-wise Sl. No. Languages / MTs Zone 1 LAMONGSE Andaman & Nicobar 2 LURO Andaman & Nicobar 3 MOUT Andaman & Nicobar 4 ONGE Andaman & Nicobar 5 PU Andaman & Nicobar 6 SANENYO Andaman & Nicobar 7 SENTILESE Andaman & Nicobar 8 SHOMPEN Andaman & Nicobar 9 TAKAHANYILANG Andaman & Nicobar 10 BHUNJIA East Central Zone 11 BINJHIA/BIRJIA/BRIJIA East Central Zone 12 BIRHOR East Central Zone 13 BODO GADABA/ GUTOB East Central Zone 14 BONDO East Central Zone 15 DHIMAL East Central Zone 16 DIDAYI / GATA East Central Zone 17 GORUM East Central Zone 18 HOLIYA East Central Zone 19 MANDA East Central Zone 20 MRU East Central Zone 21 PARENGA East Central Zone 22 THARUA East Central Zone 23 THOTI East Central Zone 24 TOTO East Central Zone 25 AIMOL North East Zone 26 ATONG North East Zone 27 BAGI North East Zone 28 BAITE/ BIATE North East Zone29 BANGRO North East Zone 30 BAWM North East Zone 31 CHINZ / ZYPHE North East Zone 32 CHIRU North East Zone 33 CHOTHE North East Zone 34 DARLONG North East Zone 35 DIRANG MONPA North East Zone 36 GURUNG North East Zone 37 KAGATE North East Zone Sl. No. Languages / MTs Zone 38 KAMI / KHAMI North East Zone 39 KHAMBA North East Zone 40 KHAMIYANG North East Zone 41 KHAMPTI North East Zone 42 KOIRENG North East Zone 43 KOMKAR North East Zone 44 KONGBO North East Zone 45 LAMGANG North East Zone 46 LIJU North East Zone 47 MARA North East Zone 48 MEYOR /ZAKHRING North East Zone 49 MOYON North East Zone 50 MUKHIYA/ SUNUWAR North East Zone 51 NAA North East Zone 52 NEWAR / PRADHAN North East Zone 53 NEWARI North East Zone 54 PHAKIAL / TAI PHAKE North East Zone 55 PUROIK / SULUNG North East Zone 56 PURUM North East Zone 57 RALTE North East Zone 58 RANGLONG North East Zone 59 SHERDUKPEN North East Zone 60 SIMONG North East Zone 61 SINGPHO North East Zone 62 TANGAM North East Zone 63 TARAO North East Zone 64 THAPA North East Zone 65 UCHAI North East Zone 66 YOBIN/YOBIN LIJU North East Zone 67 ZAKHRING North East Zone 68 CHINALI Northern Zone 69 DARMIYA Northern Zone70 GAHRI Northern Zone 71 JAD Northern Zone 72 JANGALI Northern Zone 73 JANGSHUNG Northern Zone 74 KANASHI / MALANI Northern Zone 75 RONGPO Northern Zone 76 SPITI Northern Zone 77 BALASTIN Northern Zone 78 BATERI Northern Zone 79 BEDA Northern Zone Sl. No. Languages / MTs Zone 80 BHADRALIAM Northern Zone 81 DARGARI Northern Zone 82 GOJAPURI Northern Zone 83 HASSADI Northern Zone 84 KHANA Northern Zone 85 KHASHA/KHASH Northern Zone 86 KUSHWAHI Northern Zone 87 MASIDI Northern Zone 88 MESHABI Northern Zone 89 PADDARI Northern Zone 90 SIAN Northern Zone 91 SIRAM Northern Zone 92 TEHGUL Northern Zone 93 ARANDAN Southern Zone 94 ERAVALLAN Southern Zone 95 HAKKIPIKKI Southern Zone 96 JENU KURUMBA Southern Zone 97 KADAR Southern Zone 98 KANIKER GOTTI Southern Zone 99 KUTIYA Southern Zone 100 MALAIMALASAR Southern Zone 101 MALASAR Southern Zone 102 MALAYAN Southern Zone 103 MANNAN Southern Zone 104 MOOPAN Southern Zone 105 MUDUGA Southern Zone 106 MUDUVAN Southern Zone 107 PALIYA Southern Zone 108 PULIYA Southern Zone 109 SIDDI Southern Zone 110 SOLIGA Southern Zone 111 TODA Southern Zone 112 URALI Southern Zone113 BARADI West Central Zone 114 BHALA West Central Zone 115 BHARWAD/BHARWADI West Central Zone 116 DIWEHI West Central Zone 117 NIHALI West Central ZoneAnnexure II Bhasha Sanchika List of Languages Sl.No. Language 1 Aimol 2 Ao Mongsen 3 Aranadan 4 Atong 5 Beda 6 Betta Kuruba 7 Bhadralium 8 Bharwad 9 Bhunjia 10 Biate 11 Birhor 12 Birjia 13 Bondo 14 Car Nicobarese 15 Chinali 16 Chiru 17 Chothe 18 Darlong 19 Darma 20 Dhimal 21 Didayi 22 Dirang Monpa 23 Eravallan 24 Gahri 25 Gojapuri 26 Gutob Gadaba 27 Gutob-Gadaba 28 Hakkipikki 29 Hassadi 30 Holiya31 Jad 32 Jenu Kuruba 33 Juang 34 Khamba 35 Khamiyang 36 Khana 37 Khash 38 Kudiya 39 Kui 40 Lamkang 41 Luro 42 Malasar 43 Malayan 44 Manda 45 Meshabi 46 Moyon 47 Muduga 48 Nancowry 49 Newari 50 Paddari 51 Palliyar 52 Parenga 53 Purum 54 Ranglong 55 Rongpo 56 Saihriem 57 Sanenyo 58 Sherdukpen 59 Shina 60 Siddi 61 Simong 62 Singhpo 63 Siram 64 Soliga 65 Sora 66 Spiti67 Tai Phake 68 Tangkhul 69 Thachanadan Moopan 70 Tharua 71 Thoti 72 Toda 73 Toto 74 Uchoi 75 Urali 76 YimkhiungAnnexure III List of CIIL-NCERT Indian language primers (Language wise) Date: Nov 12, 2025 SN Primer name SN Language name ISBN 1. Adi Primer 1. Adi 978-81-19411-41-2 2. Anal Primer 2. Anal 978-81-970852-4-6 3. Angami Primer 3. Angami 978-81-19411-37-5 4. Ao Primer 4. Ao 978-81-19411-22-1 5. Assamese Primer 5. Assamese 978-81-19411-72-6 6. Balti Primer 6. Balti 978-81-973948-9-8 7. Bengali Primer 7. Bengali 978-81-970852-9-1 8. Bhili (Vasava) Primer 8. Bhili (Vasava) 978-81-970769-4-7 9. Bhili (Wagdi) Primer 8. Bhili (Wagdi) 978-81-977586-3-8 10. Bhumij Primer 9. Bhumij 978-81-977442-6-6 11. Bhutia Primer 10. Bhutia 978-81-19411-17-7 12. Bishnupriya Manipuri Primer 11. Bishnupriya Manipuri 978-81-19411-59-7 13. Bodo Primer 12. Bodo 978-81-19411-97-9 14. Chang Primer 13. Chang 978-81-972541-9-2 15. Chokri Primer 14. Chokri 978-81-971148-1-6 16. Deori Primer 15. Deori 978-81-19411-44-3 17. Dimasa Primer 16. Dimasa 978-81-19411-77-1 18. Dogri Primer 17. Dogri 978-81-970852-1-5 19. Gadaba (Gutob) Primer 18. Gadaba (Gutob) 978-81-19411-47-4 20. Gangte Primer (Not Published) 19. Gangte 978-81-973948-6-7 21. Garo Primer 20. Garo 978-81-970769-6-1 22. Gondi-Odia Primer 21. Gondi 978-81-977442-7-3 23. Gondi-Telugu Primer 21. Gondi 978-81-977442-4-2 24. Gujarati Primer 22. Gujarati 978-81-970852-5-3 25. Halabi (Halbi) Primer 23. Halabi (Halbi) 978-81-19411-51-1 26. Halam Primer 24. Halam 978-81-971106-7-2 27. Hindi Primer 25. Hindi 978-81-970852-0-8 28. Hmar Primer 26. Hmar 978-81-19411-25-2 29. Ho-Hindi Primer 27. Ho 978-81-977442-0-4 30. Ho-Odia Primer 27. Ho 978-81-973948-8-1 31. Idu Mishmi Primer 28. Idu Mishmi 978-81-19411-66-5 32. Jatapu (Kuvi) Primer 29. Jatapu (Kuvi) 978-81-19411-27-6 33. Juang Primer 30. Juang 978-81-19411-57-3 34. Kabui (Rongmei) Primer 31. Kabui (Rongmei) 978-81-19411-42-9 35. Kandha (Khond) Primer 32. Kandha (Khond) 978-81-977586-5-2 36. Kannada Primer 33. Kannada 978-81-970852-6-037. Karbi Primer 34. Karbi 978-81-19411-67-2 38. Kashmiri (Devanagari) Primer 35. Kashmiri 978-81-970852-3-9 39. Kashmiri (Perso-Arabic) Primer 35. Kashmiri 978-81-977586-0-7 40. Khandeshi Primer 36. Khandeshi 978-81-19411-86-3 41. Kharia Primer 37. Kharia 978-81-19411-30-6 42. Khasi Primer 38. Khasi 978-81-971148-9-2 43. Khiamniungan Primer 39. Khiamniungan 978-81-972541-4-7 44. Kinnauri Primer 40. Kinnauri 978-81-19411-75-7 45. Kisan (Kunhu) Primer 41. Kisan (Kunhu) 978-81-19411-52-8 46. Koch Primer 42. Koch 978-81-19411-40-5 47. Koda (Kora) Primer 43. Koda (Kora) 978-81-977442-1-1 48. Kodava Primer 44. Kodava 978-81-19411-83-2 49. Kokborok Primer (B) (Not Published) 45. Kokborok 978-81-971148-4-7 50. Kokborok Primer (R) (Not Published) 45. Kokborok 978-81-19411-45-0 51. Kolami Primer 46. Kolami 978-81-970769-0-9 52. Kolami-Telugu Primer 46. Kolami 978-81-977442-5-9 53. Kom Primer 47. Kom 978-81-971148-7-8 54. Konda Primer 48. Konda 978-81-19411-79-5 55. Konkani Primer 49. Konkani 978-81-970852-2-2 56. Konyak Primer 50. Konyak 978-81-972541-1-6 57. Korku Primer 51. Korku 978-81-970769-9-2 58. Korwa Primer 52. Korwa 978-81-970769-8-5 59. Koya Primer 53. Koya 978-81-19411-65-8 60. Kui Primer 54. Kui 978-81-19411-93-1 61. Kuki Primer 55. Kuki 978-81-970769-3-0 62. Kurukh Primer 56. Kurukh 978-81-19411-49-8 63. Kuzhale (Khezha) Primer 57. Kuzhale (Khezha) 978-81-19411-73-3 64. Ladakhi Primer 58. Ladakhi 978-81-973948-4-3 65. Lahauli (Pattani) Primer 59. Lahauli (Pattani) 978-81-977442-2-8 66. Lai (Pawi) Primer 60. Lai (Pawi) 978-81-972541-0-9 67. Lepcha Primer 61. Lepcha 978-81-19411-60-3 68. Liangmai Primer 62. Liangmai 978-81-19411-46-7 69. Limbu Primer 63. Limbu 978-81-19411-94-8 70. Lotha Primer 64. Lotha 978-81-19411-50-4 71. Maithili Primer 65. Maithili 978-81-971106-5-8 72. Malayalam Primer 66. Malayalam 978-81-971106-2-7 73. Malto Primer 67. Malto 978-81-977586-4-5 74. Manipuri Primer 68. Manipuri 978-81-19411-24-5 75. Mao Primer 69. Mao 978-81-19411-18-4 76. Mara (Lakher) Primer 70. Mara (Lakher) 978-81-972541-6-1 77. Maram Primer 71. Maram 978-81-971148-0-978. Marathi Primer 72. Marathi 978-81-971106-1-0 79. Maring Primer 73. Maring 978-81-971148-5-4 80. Mising Primer 74. Mising 978-81-19411-68-9 81. Mizo Primer 75. Mizo 978-81-19411-70-2 82. Mogh Primer 76. Mogh 978-81-19411-71-9 83. Monpa Primer 77. Monpa 978-81-971148-8-5 84. Munda Primer 78. Munda 978-81-977586-9-0 85. Mundari Primer 79. Mundari 978-81-19411-80-1 86. Nepali Primer 80. Nepali 978-81-19411-82-5 87. Nicobarese: Car Nicobarese (Pū) Primer 81. Nicobarese 978-81-977586-1-4 88. Nicobarese: Nancowry (Mūöt) Primer 81. Nicobarese 978-81-977586-7-6 89. Nocte Primer 82. Nocte 978-81-971148-3-0 90. Nyishi Primer 83. Nyishi 978-81-19411-85-6 91. Odia Primer 84. Odia 978-81-971106-6-5 92. Paite Primer (Not Published) 85. Paite 978-81-973948-0-5 93. Parji (Durua) Primer 86. Parji (Durua) 978-81-977586-8-3 94. Pashto Primer 87. Pashto 978-81-973948-1-2 95. Phom primer 88. Phom 978-81-971148-2-3 96. Pochury Primer 89. Pochury 978-81-972541-8-5 97. Punjabi Primer 90. Punjabi 978-81-971106-8-9 98. Rabha Primer 91. Rabha 978-81-19411-23-8 99. Rai Primer 92. Rai 978-81-19411-29-0 100. Rengma Primer 93. Rengma 978-81-972541-3-0 101. Sangtam Primer 94. Sangtam 978-81-972541-2-3 102. Sanskrit Primer 95. Sanskrit 978-81-970852-7-7 103. Santali-Bengali Primer 96. Santali 978-81-970769-5-4 104. Santali-Hindi Primer 96. Santali 978-81-970852-8-4 105. Santali-Odia Primer 96. Santali 978-81-970769-1-6 106. Savara (Sora) Primer 97. Savara (Sora) 978-81-19411-81-8 107. Sherpa Primer 98. Sherpa 978-81-19411-39-9 108. Shina Primer 99. Shina 978-81-973948-7-4 109. Sindhi (Devanagari) Primer 100. Sindhi 978-81-971106-9-6 110. Sindhi (Perso-Arabic) Primer 100. Sindhi 978-81-971106-4-1 111. Sümi (Sema) Primer 101. Sümi (Sema) 978-81-19411-69-6 112. Tamang Primer 102. Tamang 978-81-19411-36-8 113. Tamil Primer 103. Tamil 978-81-971106-3-4 114. Tangkhul Primer 104. Tangkhul 978-81-19411-61-0 115. Tangsa Primer 105. Tangsa 978-81-970769-7-8 116. Telugu Primer 106. Telugu 978-81-971106-0-3 117. Thadou-Kuki Primer (Not Published) 107. Thadou-Kuki 978-81-972541-7-8 118. Tibetan Primer 108. Tibetan 978-81-973948-3-6 119. Tiwa (Lalung) Primer 109. Tiwa 978-81-19411-63-4120. Tulu Primer 110. Tulu 978-81-19411-21-4 121. Urdu Primer 111. Urdu 978-81-970769-2-3 122. Vaiphei Primer (Not Published) 112. Vaiphei 978-81-973948-5-0 123. Wancho Primer 113. Wancho 978-81-19411-15-3 124. Yimkhiung Primer 114. Yimkhiung 978-81-971148-6-1 125. Zeme Primer 115. Zeme 978-81-972541-5-4 126. Zeme-Manipuri Primer 115, Zeme …………………. 127. Zou Primer (Not Published) 116. Zou 978-81-973948-2-9 * 127 CIIL-NCERT Primers for 116 Indian languages. ** 119 primers for 110 Indian languages published and released. *** 7 primers for 6 Indian languages developed but not published and released. **** Zeme-Manipuri Primer is going to be developed in a workshop from Nov 17 to 22, 2025 at CIIL, Mysuru. ****