Chandigarh, Feb 7 (PTI) Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Tuesday held a meeting with MLAs, scholars and language activists for the promotion of Punjabi language.

During the discussion, scholars and language activists said the legal work in Punjab and Haryana High Court and lower courts should be carried out in Punjabi.

Also Read | Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel Targets Former CM Raman Singh Over Reservation Issue.

Presiding over a meeting to discuss matters related to promoting the mother tongue and provide detailed information about issues to legislators and implement Punjabi in the courts, Sandhwan said the state government was making constant efforts to give due respect to Punjabi.

The government and private institutions have been urged to write Punjabi as a first language on their signage and boards by the International Mother Language Day which is on February 21, said an official statement here.

Also Read | CPWD Asks Field Units to Take Urgent Steps to Vacate ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’ Houses.

The Speaker said during the discussion, important ideas came out such as implementing Punjabi in the upper and lower courts under the established laws, linking mother tongue with employment, improving Punjabi language proficiency of the teachers, correctness of translation, implementation of Punjabi in private schools from nursery level, use of Punjabi language by bureaucrats and strengthening linguistic institutions.

The meeting was attended by Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, Deputy Speaker Jai Krishan Singh Rori, MLAs Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Mohammad Jamil-ur-Rehman, Karambir Singh Ghuman and others.

Language activist and legal scholar Mitter Sen Meet, while referring to the established laws, said legal work in Punjabi can be implemented in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Similarly, implementation of Punjabi language can be ensured in the lower courts by the state government. He also spoke on reviving the Punjab State Language Legislative Commission for the purpose of translation of legal norms.

Lakhwinder Singh Johal, president of the Punjabi Sahitya Akademi Ludhiana, expressed views for improving the status of Punjabi at the academic level and connecting the mother tongue with skill development and employment.

Darshan Buttar, president,Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha stressed on empowering the language department, while Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha (Sekhon) President Pawan Harchandpuri suggested that instructions from the secretariat level should be issued in Punjabi language.

Sikh historian and scholar Harpal Singh Pannu said teachers should be aware of the nuances of the Punjabi language.

Punjab School Education Board Chairman Yograj, while giving an example of the French language, said the language implemented by the state always spreads widely. He also batted for the strengthening of linguistic infrastructure.

Arvind, Vice Chancellor, Punjabi University Patiala and Virpal Kaur, Director, Language Department said their institutions will provide fulsome support in providing vocabulary in mother tongue for law and medical studies and strengthening the linguistic infrastructure.

(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)