New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) Punjab's education minister Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday alleged that the central government was "encroaching" on the rights of states through the new education policy.

Addressing the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam organised by the Union Ministry of Education at Bharat Mandapam here, he said as education is a concurrent subject between the Centre and the states, the central government is overpowering the state authority through its new education policy.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi's 'Saawan' Swipe at Opposition in Lok Sabha for Doubting Timing of 'Operation Mahadev'.

The minister highlighted that despite Punjabi being one of the 22 scheduled languages under the Constitution and being widely spoken and studied in several states other than Punjab, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had initially included it as an optional subject alongside languages like Thai, German and Mandarin.

He said that it was only after the Punjab government registered its strong protest that Punjabi was included as a main subject.

Also Read | US Vice President JD Vance Tried To Call Me 4 to 5 Times on May 9, but I Did Not Pick Up His Calls, Says PM Narendra Modi During Operation Sindoor Debate in Lok Sabha (Watch Video).

He said that the Centre has maintained that the NEP would promote regional languages, but contrary to these claims, the Centre placed the regional languages under the category of optional subjects, which is undermining the status of regional languages.

According to a state government statement, the minister said that the Punjab government has already announced the framing of its own education policy and it will be ready soon.

He said that the state will not tolerate any steps of the Centre that "undermine Punjab, Punjabiyat and Punjabi language under the guise of the NEP".

Bains said Punjab is working sincerely towards the holistic development of education in the state.

The minister highlighted that students from government schools in Punjab are excelling at the national level in various fields of education and competitive exams, bringing pride to the state, the statement said

Bains said that during this event, there was no discussion on the tragic collapse of a school building in Rajasthan and even a two-minute silence was not observed on the death of innocent children, "which is very unfortunate".

He said that in this conference, important issues like mid-day meal, slary hike for workers and increasing the funds for school uniforms were not discussed.

He said new methods of education, blockchain, artificial intelligence, digital learning and other issues were not even touched.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)