Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali now among classical languages

The Union government on Thursday conferred the classical language tag to five more Indian languages, including Marathi and Bengali.
The five more languages that have been recognised as classical languages are Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit and Assamese, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the decision in a media briefing on Thursday.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“This is a historical decision and this decision goes very well with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government’s philosophy of taking ride in our culture, taking pride in our heritage and taking pride in all the Indian languages and the rich heritage that we have,” Vaishnaw said at a cabinet briefing.
After the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) and expressed his thoughts on the government’s move.
“Our Government cherishes and celebrates India’s rich history and culture. We have also been unwavering in our commitment to popularising regional languages. I am extremely glad the Cabinet has decided that Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit will be conferred the status of Classical Languages! Each of them are beautiful languages, highlighting our vibrant diversity. Congratulations to everyone”, PM Modi posted on X.
Also, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma thanked PM Narendra Modi and the Union government for conferring classical language status to Assamese.
“ASSAMESE IS NOW A CLASSICAL LANGUAGE On behalf of the people of Assam, I extend my gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji and the entire Union Cabinet for the historic decision to accord Assamese the status of Classical Language. Assamese joins a select group of languages to enjoy this status”, Sarma posted on X.
“This exemplifies the unique civilisational roots of Assam that have withstood the test of time. With today’s decision, we shall be able to better preserve our beloved mother tongue, which not only unites our society but also forms an unbroken link to the ancient wisdom of Assam’s saints, thinkers, writers and philosophers”, he added.
The number of classical Indian languages has now reached 11 as Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Oriya had already got the coveted status.