Uttarakhand’s Folk Literature to Be Digitally Preserved: Chief Minister

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that Uttarakhand’s folk literature will be digitally preserved. Chairing the General Assembly and Executive Committee meeting of the Uttarakhand Language Institute at the Secretariat, he emphasized the creation of an e-library and production of audio-visual materials based on folk tales. The Chief Minister also stated that the Uttarakhand Language Institute will create a linguistic map of the state’s dialects.

He stressed the need to promote the practice of gifting books instead of bouquets. The government will introduce a Long-Term Literary Service Award, with a prize of ₹5 lakh, and increase the Uttarakhand Sahitya Bhushan Award from ₹5 lakh to ₹5.51 lakh.

To encourage young writers towards Hindi, a Youth Pen Competition will be launched for two age groups: 18–24 and 25–35 years. The government also plans to provide mobile libraries in remote areas and will partner with major publishers to supply books on various subjects.

The Language Institute will create short videos to promote interest among children in local dialects. The traditional Pandwani singing style ‘Bakna’ from the Jaunsar-Bawar region will also be documented for preservation.

The Institute will also compile the complete works of renowned playwright Govind Ballabh Pant, archive literary works of Uttarakhand authors published 50–100 years ago in Indian journals, and run research projects for the preservation and study of high Himalayan and tribal languages of Uttarakhand.

Two “Literary Villages” will be developed to foster literary creation amidst nature and facilitate discussions and gatherings among writers.

Language Minister Subodh Uniyal highlighted several new initiatives by the Institute over the past three years, aimed at the protection and promotion of regional languages. Numerous awards are being provided by the state to encourage linguistic development.

Key officials including Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu, Secretary V. Shanmugam, and Director of the Language Department Swati Bhadauria were present during the meeting.