Agartala, Feb 19 (IANS) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday underlined the importance of promoting the Hindi language alongside local languages, saying it (Hindi) plays a vital role in communication and national unity. ​

The Chief Minister said that as part of efforts to strengthen Hindi while respecting linguistic diversity, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has chosen Agartala to host the Joint Regional Official Language Conference (Rajbhasha Sammelan) of the Northern, Eastern, and North Eastern regions.

​The event will be held at the International Indoor Exhibition Centre in Hapania on Friday, and the Home Minister will inaugurate the conference. ​

“He wants such national-level programmes to be held in Agartala. Representatives from the Northern Region, the Eastern Region, and the Northeastern Region have come here, and we are eagerly awaiting the event. The Home Minister will also address the gathering,” Saha told the media.

​Describing Hindi as an accessible and widely understood language, the Chief Minister said that in Tripura, a majority of people can use Hindi with ease.

​“Keeping Hindi at the forefront, we want to unite the entire country. At the same time, everyone has their own language, and all are important,” he added, noting that many Indian languages are rooted in Sanskrit.

​Saha also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for their initiatives to promote linguistic harmony.

​Speaking on technology and innovation, the Chief Minister said he attended the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Wednesday.

​He said that at the AI Impact Summit, he interacted with foreign delegates, Union Ministers, and Chief Ministers of several states on numerous issues.

​“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is always keen on AI. In the coming days, all departments will use artificial intelligence, and AI has also been included in the recent budget,” he said. ​

Expressing confidence in India’s technological future, Saha added, “I believe that in the coming days, India will emerge as a global platform for AI. Artificial intelligence is necessary for all of us.” ​

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) Department of Official Language Secretary, Anshuli Arya, earlier in the day, said that more than 3,000 senior officials, representatives, and experts from Central government offices, public sector undertakings, and banks from the Northern, Eastern, and North-Eastern regions of the country will participate in the conference.

​She said that officials, representatives, and experts from around 20 states will attend the conference, which is the first of its kind in Tripura. ​

The participating states include West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand from the Eastern region; Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim from the Northeastern region; and Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh from the Northern region.

–IANS

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