**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer provided by the Minister of Culture and Tourism to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question Number 1188 regarding the promotion of Bangla language and culture, due on December 8, 2025. It details specific measures undertaken by the Government, including digital, educational, and cultural initiatives, and the utilization of modern technologies for the preservation of Bangla. The document also references attached annexures for further details on funds disbursed and activities organized.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Bangla Language Status and Recognition:**
* Bangla is one of the 14 scheduled languages included in the Constitution since 1950.
* Bangla/Bengali was notified as one of the Classical Languages of India (Gazette Notification dated October 4, 2025).
* **Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs):**
* The Ministry of Culture has established seven ZCCs across the country.
* Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, headquartered in Kolkata, functions as a cultural nerve centre in the eastern part of the country, including Bangla culture.
* **Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs (RSMs):**
* The Ministry organizes RSMs through ZCCs to engage artists from all over India.
* The 2021 RSM iteration was celebrated at multiple locations in West Bengal.
* **National Language Translation Mission (Bhashini):**
* Bangla is fully supported in Bhashini across core services and applications.
* The National Hub for Language Technology (NHLT) has been developed to deliver NLP capabilities at scale.
* Over 20 AI services are currently available for Bangla, facilitating over 112 million inferences.
* High-quality datasets for Bangla language are publicly accessible through the BHASHINI platform and AI Kosh.
* **User-Centric Applications and Solutions:**
* Deployed website translation tools, document translation systems, and voice-first interfaces.
* Citizens can interact with digital services in Bangla without technical expertise.
* **Support and Schemes:**
* The Ministry of Culture extends support to organizations/artists engaged in promotion and preservation of culture, including Bangla culture.
* Details of funds disbursed to beneficiaries in West Bengal are enclosed in Annexure I.
* **Sahitya Akademi:**
* Recognizes literary compositions in 24 languages, including Bangla, and provides awards.
* Organizes various umbrella festivals such as UNMESHA, Festival of Letters, and Sahityotsava.
* Recent activities organized in West Bengal are listed in Annexure II.
* **Annexures:**
* Annexure I provides details of funds disbursed and number of beneficiaries in West Bengal under various schemes administered.
* Annexure II lists activities by Sahitya Akademi for promotion of Bangla.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Culture:**
* **Impact:** Responsible for promoting Bangla language and culture through various initiatives, including financial assistance and organization of cultural events.
* **Action Required:** Continue to support organizations and artists, disburse funds as per schemes, and organize cultural programs.
**Bangla-Speaking Community:**
* **Impact:** Beneficiaries of initiatives promoting Bangla language and culture, including access to digital resources and cultural events.
* **Action Required:** Engage with the programs and initiatives offered by the Ministry of Culture and the Sahitya Akademi.
**Organizations/Artists in West Bengal:**
* **Impact:** Potential recipients of financial assistance and opportunities to showcase their talent through Ministry of Culture schemes.
* **Action Required:** Apply for relevant schemes and participate in organized events to promote Bangla language and culture.
**Sahitya Akademi:**
* **Impact:** Key entity in promoting and preserving literary culture in Bangla.
* **Action Required:** Continue organizing events, providing awards, and recognizing literary compositions in Bangla.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Culture: The primary government body responsible for promoting Bangla language and culture.
Sahitya Akademi: An autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture that promotes and preserves literary culture in India, including Bangla.
Digital India Bhashini Division: Division of MEITY leveraging AI platforms to support and enhance the usage and preservation of Bangla.
West Bengal: A location of importance due to multiple cultural centers and activities related to Bangla language promotion.
Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs (RSMs): A program through Zonal Cultural Centres where artists from all over India showcase their talents.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CULTURE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NUMBER 1188
TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025
PROMOTION OF BANGLA LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
1188. SHRI AZAD KIRTI JHA:
Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:
(a) the details of specific measures undertaken by the Government to promote Bangla
language and culture across India, including digital, educational and cultural initiatives;
(b) the manner in which Government is leveraging modern technologies such as AI
platforms developed under the Digital India Bhashini Division to support and enhance
the usage and preservation of Bangla;
(c) the details of any ongoing or planned collaborations, programmes or frameworks aimed
at preserving, propagating and promoting Bangla in educational curricula, official
communication, cultural events, and digital media: and
(d) the details of the strategies implemented for engaging the Bangla-speaking community
and cultural experts to ensure relevance and effectiveness of these promotion efforts?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
(GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)
(a) Bangla is one of the 14 languages included in scheduled languages initially when
the Constitution was adopted in 1950. Subsequently, vide Gazette Notification
dated 04.10.2025, Bangla/Bengali was also notified as one of the Classical
Languages of India.
The Ministry of Culture has established seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCC) across
the country. Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre is headquartered in Kolkata, West
Bengal, functioning as a cultural nerve centre, between and among the numerous
ethnic cultural centres/groups of excellence in the eastern part of the country
including Bangla Culture.
The Ministry also organizes Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs (RSMs) through ZCCs
where a large number of artists from all over India are engaged who showcase
their talents during these programmes. The 2021 iteration of the Rashtriya
Sanskriti Mahotsava was celebrated at multiple locations in West Bengal (Cooch
Behar, Darjeeling and Murshidabad) with participation of artists including Bangla
Artists.Bangla is also fully supported in The National Language Translation Mission
(Bhashini), Bangla across all core services and applications, such as Anuvaad
(Translation) Web Services, Mobile applications, and Developer APIs and
language technologies.
(b) To ensure seamless access to comprehensive suite of state-of-the-art Natural
Language Processing (NLP) capabilities, the Bhashini Division of Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology of India (MEITY) has developed the
National Hub for Language Technology (NHLT), a unified platform through which
these services are delivered at scale. For Bangla specifically, 20+ AI services are
currently available. The platform has facilitated over 112 million inferences wrt
Bangla.
Recognising the importance of open knowledge ecosystems, the Division has also
made high-quality datasets for the Bangla language publicly accessible through
both the BHASHINI platform and India’s national AI dataset repository, AI Kosh.
To expand real-world adoption and bridge digital access gaps, the Division has
deployed multiple user-centric applications and solutions. These include website
translation tools, document translation systems, and voice-first interfaces designed
to ensure that users can interact with digital services without needing any technical
expertise. Through voice-based interaction, citizens can now speak in Bangla,
receive information in Bangla, and navigate digital platforms without reliance on
typing or complex interfaces thereby effectively reducing barriers related to literacy,
language, and digital familiarity.
(c) & (d) The Ministry of Culture, through its various schemes, extends support to a number
of organizations/ artists engaged in the promotion and preservation of culture
across the country, including Bangla culture. Details of funds disbursed to
beneficiaries in West Bengal under different schemes of the Ministry are enclosed
at Annexure I.
Sahitya Akademi, an autonomous body under the Ministry working on promotion
and preservation of literary culture of the country recognizes literary compositions
in 24 langauges including Bangla and provides awards and recognition to Bangla
in all its award categories.
The recent prominent activites organized in West Bengal by Sahitya Akademi is
enclosed in Annexure II.
In addition to the specific events, Sahitya Akademi also organizes various umbrella
festivals such as UNMESHA, Festival of Letters, and Sahityotsava. These events
function as a melting pot of number of different languages and culture of India
witnessing an enthusiastic participation of writers, thinkers, playwrights, creators,
and readers of various languages including Bangla.
***ANNEXURE I
DETAILS OF FUNDS DISBURSED AND NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES (INDIVIDUALS /ORGANIZATIONS) IN
WEST BENGAL UNDER VARIOUS SCHEMES ADMINISTERED
Sl. Name of the
No. scheme 2020-2021 2021-2022 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-25
Number Amount Number Amount Number Amount Number Amount Number Amount
of (Rs. In of (Rs. In of (Rs. In of (Rs. In of (Rs. In
Benefic- lakh.) Benefic- lakh) Benefic- lakh.) Benefic- lakh.) Benefic- lakh)
iaries iaries iaries iaries iaries
1. Financial 112 821.76 333 2060.8 418 2288.48 208 1432.21 112 821.76
Assistance for
Promotion of
Guru Shishya
Parampara
(Repertory
Grant)
2. Financial 0 0.00 2 6.75 0 0.00 2 37.50 3 31.25
Assistance to
Cultural
Organizations
with National
Presence
(including R.K.
Mission, West
Bengal)
3. Cultural
Function and
Production
Grant 229 216.09 310 364.14 410 544.44 357 206.86 302 435.61
4. Scheme For 67 59.40 81 115.00 87 118.20 100 93.00 102 116.40
the Award of
Fellowship to
Outstanding
Persons in
The Field Of
Culture
5. Scheme for 161 48.30 195 58.50 67 20.10 278 83.70 219 65.70
Scholarships
to Young
Artistes in
Different
Cultural Fields
6. Financial 37 5.09 32 12.31 27 11.71 35 28.53 39 20.37
Assistance for
Veteran Artists
7. Financial 29 99.25 12 40.22 72 168 92 175.51 70 82.75
Assistance for
the
Development
of Buddhist /
Tibetan
Culture and
ArtANNEXURE II
LIST OF ACTIVITIES BY SAHITYA AKADEMI FOR PROMOTION OF BANGLA
S.No Programme Title Date & Time Venue / Collaboration Location
1 Literary Forum: 18 Sept 2025, Sahitya Akademi Kolkata
Poetry Readings by 5:00 PM Regional Office, Kolkata
Bengali Poets Auditorium
2 Literary Forum: 30 Aug 2025, Durgapur Govt. College Durgapur,
Readings of Bengali 11:00 AM & Tristoop Magazine Paschim
Poetry & Short Bardhaman,
Stories West Bengal
3 Gramalok: Readings 29 Aug 2025, Rajganj College Jalpaiguri, West
& Discussion by 11:00 AM Bengal
Bengali Writers
4 Bal Sahiti: Readings 27 Aug 2025, University of North Darjeeling, West
& Discussion on 2:00 PM Bengal & Mallar Bengal
Bengali Children’s Magazine
Literature
5 Kathasandhi with 26 Aug 2025, Sahitya Akademi Kolkata
Nalini Bera 5:30 PM Eastern Regional Office
Auditorium
6 Yuva Sahiti: 26 Aug 2025, Sahitya Akademi Kolkata
Readings & 4:00 PM Eastern Regional Office
Discussion with Auditorium
Young Bengali
Writers
7 Symposium: Bengali 25 Aug 2025, IQAC & St. Xavier's Kolkata
Literature, Theatre & 11:00 AM College (Autonomous),
Cinema Relationship Father Depelchin
Auditorium
8 Symposium: Tribal 13 Aug 2025, Bankura University, Bankura, West
Voice in Bengali 11:00 AM Purandarpur Bengal
Literature
9 Kavi-Anuvadak with 31 Jul 2025, Sahitya Akademi Kolkata
Aditya Mandi 5:45 PM Regional Office, Kolkata
Auditorium
10 Contemporary 31 Jul 2025, Sahitya Akademi Kolkata
Bengali Dalit 4:00 PM Regional Office, Kolkata
Literature (Literary Auditorium
Forum)
11 Literary Forum: 31 Jul 2025, Sadhu Ramchand Jhargram, West
Influence of 11:00 AM Murmu University of Bengal
Technology on Jhargram, Jitusol
Bengali Literature
12 Mulakat: Readings & 30 Jul 2025, Baneswar Sarathibala Cooch Behar,Discussion by Young 12:00 PM Mahavidyalaya West Bengal
Bengali Writers
13 Kathasandhi with 4 Jul 2025, Seminar Hall, Kashipur Purulia, West
Nirmal Halder 11:30 AM Michael Madhusudan Bengal
Mahavidyalaya
14 Literary Forum: 25 Jun 2025, Vidyasagar Sabhagriha, Nadia, West
Mahabharata 11:00 AM University of Kalyani Bengal
Studies
15 Literary Forum: 25 Jun 2025, Mankar College Purba
125th Birth 11:00 AM Bardhaman,
Anniversary of West Bengal
Sailajananda
Mukhopadhyay
16 Seminar: Depiction 24 Jun 2025, Presidency University Kolkata
of the Marginalized 11:00 AM
in Bengali Literature
17 Asmita: Readings by 23 Jun 2025, Saltora Netaji Centenary Bankura, West
Bengali Women 11:00 AM College Bengal
Writers
18 Symposium: Bengali 30 May 2025, Vidyasagar University, Paschim
Novels in the 21st 10:00 AM Dept. of Bengali Medinipur, West
Century Bengal
19 Kathasandhi with (Date not — —
Abhijit Tarafdar specified;
paired with
next entry)
20 Literary Forum: 28 Feb 2025, Bidhannagar College Salt Lake,
Readings by Bengali 2:30 PM Kolkata
Writers