The Hindu : National : Cabinet nod for Central Institute of Classical Tamil

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Thursday, Jan 31, 2008
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National

Cabinet nod for Central Institute of Classical Tamil

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the setting up of a Central Institute of Classical Tamil in Chennai at a cost of Rs. 76.32 crore. This is a follow-up on the Centre’s decision granting Tamil the status of classical language.

Union Minister and Cabinet spokesperson Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister would be the ex-officio chairperson of the institute, coming up on 17 acres. The Centre would bear the entire recurring and non-recurring cost, while the State would provide land free. The institute would organise and offer educational and research programmes at the postgraduate level leading to Ph.D and post-doctoral awards, support research projects of universities and other institutions, and assist in the publication of ancient Tamil works in original and their translation into English and other Indian languages.

Dravidian culture

It would promote and encourage studies on the composite nature of Indian culture, with focus on the Dravidian component in Indian civilisation and heritage, promote classical Tamil education and serve as a clearing house of information on classical Tamil Nadu.

The institute would offer fellowships for doctoral and post-doctoral research, institute awards for outstanding contributions on the various aspects of classical Tamil and organise and support national and international conferences, seminars and workshops.

It would have 12 departments: literature, linguistics, translation, lexicography, school of language, history, sociology and anthropology, archaeology, manuscriptology, epigraphy and numismatics, art and architecture, overseas Tamil and language technology.

The institute would have a 16-member general body, a 25-member academic council and a nine-member finance committee. Their composition and functions would be worked out in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Centre. It would be an autonomous body under the Human Resource Development Ministry.

The Cabinet also decided to provide subsidy, initially for one year, to the Arunachal Pradesh government for operating a helicopter service between Guwahati and Tawang for tourists.

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