The Ministry of Education has approved five Centres of Excellence for classical language studies. The approval came through an Office Memorandum dated October 1. It was announced on October 3.

The centres will cover Classical Assamese, Classical Bengali, Classical Marathi, Classical Pali and Classical Prakrit. They will strengthen academic research, digitisation, preservation and dissemination of the languages’ heritage.

Tezpur University in Assam will host the Assamese centre. Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal will host the Bengali centre. Deccan College in Pune will host the Marathi centre. The Central University of Odisha will host the Pali centre. The Central University of Gujarat will host the Prakrit centre.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi called the Pali centre a proud moment for the state. The five languages received classical status in 2024. The centres will document manuscripts and literary resources. They will give scholars dedicated platforms for advanced research. The memorandum says the centres will widen access to classical texts for researchers and students across India.