In Bihar, a fresh push to promote Urdu among government employees

In Bihar, a fresh push to promote Urdu among administration employees This is in line with the state's aim of expanding free Urdu-speaking and writing courses throughout Patna and various district centres, and comes months after the Bihar administration unveiled Urdu translators.

Key points

• The 2-hour course will be held from 01: 00 pm to 03: 00 pm, Monday to Thursday, for 70 days, excluding public holidays, the letter remarked.
• Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008.
• "There will be more online and offline Urdu learning courses, " Minority Welfare Minister Zama Khan informed The Indian Express.
• The directorate had run a 60-day residential training course in 2018-19.
• Urdu was declared Bihar's second official language in 1981 – the first state in the country to do so.

In practice, a 70-day Urdu course. That's what the Bihar administration is offering to assist promote the state's second official language, Urdu.

Meanwhile, the online certification course. It will commence on October 13, is meant for state administration employees, a letter by SM Parvez Alam, the extra secretary-cum-director of the Cabinet Secretariat Department, remarked to all extra chief secretaries, principal secretaries, secretaries, district magistrates, and other department heads on September 8.

Notably, the 2-hour course will be held from 01: 00 pm to 03: 00 pm, Monday to Thursday, for 70 days, excluding public holidays, the letter remarked. An exam will be held at the end of it, and successful candidates will be awarded an Urdu Learning Certificate.

'It is to say that for teaching non-Urdu speaking officers and employees working in all departments and all regional offices of the State Administration to read and write Urdu (Second Official Language of the State) online, 'Urdu Training / Learning Centre' is run under Urdu Directorate, Cabinet Secretariat Department, the letter stated.

"There will be more online and offline Urdu learning courses, " Minority Welfare Minister Zama Khan informed The Indian Express. "Right from Urdu learning courses to fresh appointments of Urdu translators, the state government is committed to providing a level playing field to all communities."

According to A senior administration official, while the Directorate of Urdu has had Urdu training programmes from time to time, this is the first time online training is being offered to a larger number of administration employees. The directorate had run a 60-day residential training course in 2018-19.

Urdu was declared Bihar's second official language in 1981 – the first state in the country to do so. Since then, all administration notifications and district gazettes are issued in both Hindi and Urdu. The state's Muslim population is 17 percent.

In March, the state administration unveiled the appointment of 2, 000 Urdu translators. The appointments will be processed through the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC). © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd.

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Expertise He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are additionally his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

In short, in Bihar, a fresh push to promote Urdu among government employees is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.