By IANS
New Delhi : The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) Tuesday decided to approach state governments for land to open Urdu language and Urdu cultural centres.
The Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh told the council's Annual General Meeting (AGM) that a mausoleum in memory of the heroes of the 1857 first War of Independence will be built in the capital where all the important documents and records would be stored so that it could be used by those who want to pursue research on the freedom struggle.
The council decided to hold a national seminar on the occasion of 150 years of the first War of Independence to highlight the glorious role played by Urdu during the period. It was also suggested that apart from holding such seminars in the country, an international conference could be organised in the Gulf countries where there is a sizable Urdu speaking population.
The minister asked the council to go for restructuring and ensure that appropriate action is taken in this regard.
The council has been holding national book fairs, workshops and seminars in different places in India. It also provides grant-in-aid to NGOs for holding seminars, workshops and conferences to promote the language.
It has decided to provide grant to the Orissa Urdu Academy for publication of a book of well-known Oriya poet Sitakant Mohapatra, a Padma Bhushan and Gyanpeeth awardee, for a bilingual edition in Oriya and Urdu.