Punjab to open Punjab Urdu Academy at Malerkotla

This was decided in a meeting of the General Council of Punjab Urdu Academy that was presided over by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Punjab Bhawan, Chandigarh on Wednesday evening.

A committee, including the Vice Chancellor of Punjabi University Patiala and other renowned personalities and academicians of Urdu, was constituted by the CM and he asked them to give suggestions for the appointment of the academy’s secretary and staff.

He also ordered the Principal Secretary of Higher Education and Chairman of Punjab Wakf Board to search for at least 4 acres of land for the academy at Malerkotla, within one week.

Talking about promoting the language, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said, “Now it is a high time to restore its pristine glory, recognition and due status in Punjab".

He described the decision for setting up the academy as a “right step in the direction for the promotion of Urdu Language, literature and culture.”

Education and Languages Minister of Punjab Upinderjit Kaur, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister D S Guru, Principal Secretary Higher Education Mandeep Singh Sandhu, Former Minister Abdul Ghuffar, Director Languages Balbir Kaur, Vice Chancellor Punjabi University Patiala Jaspal Singh, Vice Chancellor GNDU Ajaib Singh Brar and Chairman Punjab Education Board Dalbir Singh Dhillon were among the people who attended the meeting.