Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has hailed the Ministry of Education’s approval for the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha (CUO).
The Chief Minister described the decision as a proud moment for Odisha and a significant step towards preserving India’s rich linguistic heritage.
The centre will strengthen the study, preservation and promotion of Pali, a language deeply connected with India’s intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions, and will further enhance Odisha’s contribution to safeguarding the country’s civilisational knowledge and linguistic heritage, Majhi said.
“A proud moment for Odisha and a significant step towards preserving India’s rich linguistic heritage. The Ministry of Education’s approval of a Centre of Excellence for Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha will strengthen the study, preservation and promotion of Pali, a language deeply connected with India’s intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions. This Centre will further strengthen Odisha’s contribution to preserving India’s civilisational knowledge and linguistic heritage”, the Chief Minister said in a post on X.
A proud moment for Odisha and a significant step towards preserving India’s rich linguistic heritage.
The Ministry of Education’s approval of a Centre of Excellence for Classical Pali at the Central University of Odisha will strengthen the study, preservation and promotion of… pic.twitter.com/hNSJT31oIB
— Mohan Charan Majhi (@MohanMOdisha) October 3, 2026
The approval forms part of an Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Higher Education (Language Division) on October 1, which notified the establishment of five Centres of Excellence for Studies in Classical Languages. The centres will be located at Tezpur University in Assam for Classical Assamese, Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal for Classical Bengali, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute in Pune, Maharashtra for Classical Marathi, Central University of Odisha for Classical Pali, and Central University of Gujarat for Classical Prakrit.
These centres are intended to strengthen academic research, digitization, preservation and dissemination of the heritage of these classical languages.