Finance
Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship, and Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, introduced the Kuwi and Desia books in Bhubaneswar.
The Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, Government of India, also released a special cover at the ceremony. This is a joint initiative of the Central University of Odisha, Koraput, the Department of Posts, and NCERT.
While speaking to the crowd at the launch ceremony, Pradhan mentioned that there are over 62 tribes in Odisha, accounting for 23% of the total population. He added that it is necessary to teach students using pictures, stories, and songs based on their local nature and culture in order to improve their speaking skills, learning outcomes, and cognitive development. In this regard, he informed, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has prepared two invaluable books: “Kuwi Primer” and “Desia Primer” for children who speak Kuwi and Desia tribal languages in Odisha’s undivided Koraput district for the first time, in collaboration with Central University of Odisha. He claims that these two primers will not only lay a solid educational foundation of those children but also preserve and foster the cultural, linguistic heritage and identity of tribal community of Odisha.
Nirmala Sitharaman, speaking on the occasion, stated that the National Education program 2020 is a very progressive program. It is the outcome of various people pooling their resources and long consultations. NEP is a policy that is adaptable. It is not something decided by the Centre and imposed on the states. She noted that it is a broad framework that governments must adjust to their specific needs. Sitharaman went on to say that learning, speaking, and thinking in one’s mother tongue provides clarity of mind that can be utilised afterwards. That is why it essential to study in one’s mother tongue.
She stated that the Education Ministry and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan are making every effort to educate tribal youngsters. The introduction of primers in local languages and dialects is a generational move that would also strengthen Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat,’ she noted.
On the invitation of the Prime Minister of the country, the Ministers attended a series of activities today as part of the nationwide “Meri Maati Mera Desh” campaign to pay tribute to the heroes who sacrificed for the country.
The Ministers went to Puri Beach to see the “Meri Maati Mera Desh” Sand Art by Padmashri Awardee Sudarshan Patnaik. Pradhan stated that the artwork is a unique and excellent approach to honor the “heroes” who sacrificed their life for the country. He thanked all the sculptors involved in this work.
Both Ministers, along with students, installed a ‘Memorial Plaque’ in honour of Martyrs and participated in a tree plantation ceremony at Sadashiv Campus of Central Sanskrit University in Puri as part of Meri Maati Mera Desh’s ‘Dedication of Shilaphalakam’ and ‘Vasudha Vandan’ initiatives.
During a session at Central Sanskrit University, the Ministers gave the Panch Pran vow to a gathering.
The Ministers also paid tribute to the families of martyrs and liberation fighters. They collected dirt and rice in ‘amrit kalash’ from house to house in Biraharekrushnapur, a village in Puri district and the birthplace of Martyr Jayee Rajguru, in order to establish a ‘Amrit Vatika’ in Delhi. They also decorated Martyr Jayee Rajguru’s statue.
Dharmendra Pradhan, speaking on the occasion, stated that Biraharekrushnapur, the birthplace of Jayee Rajguru, is a tribute to Odisha’s rich cultural and historical history. The land of this village witnessed Jayee Rajguru’s valor and sacrifice, lending credence to the Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign. Let us visit such historically significant sites to remember and honor our heroic troops’ sacrifices.
The Ministers met with artists from Raghurajpur, a heritage crafts village in Odisha’s Puri district. During the engagement, the Finance Minister emphasized the benefits of the ‘PM Vishwakarma’ Scheme, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his Independence Day speech in 2023.
Source:OCN
