Varanasi, April 11: Uttar Pradesh government has emphasised developing Kashi or Varanasi as an educational hub of Indian traditional languages and it will be known as a Sanskrit city of the world.

Varanasi has the most Sanskrit schools as well as the highest number of students studying Sanskrit followed by Jaunpur, also in UP. More than 110 Sanskrit schools are being functional in Varanasi. Two more will be added to this tally by the new session. Overall, 13 new Sanskrit schools are going to be opened across the state by the Yogi Adityanath government.

In order to expand the Sanskrit language and give it a different identity, the Yogi Government of the state is going to set up Sanskrit Directorate on the lines of Directorates of Secondary and Basic Education. After the creation of the Directorate, the Sanskrit language will get a new identity.

Apart from this, for the first time in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath started releasing government press notes in Sanskrit. He also tweeted in Sanskrit from his official Twitter account.

After the initiative of the CM, Sanskrit Board has also started promoting the Sanskrit language in the state in a big way. According to the official’s sources here on Sunday, this time there are preparations to recognize 13 new Sanskrit schools in the state. These schools have met their prescribed standards. Out of these, two will be opened in Kashi and one in Jaunpur.

A total of 1164 Sanskrit schools are being run by the Uttar Pradesh Secondary Sanskrit Education Council. Out of this, 971 schools are aided schools while two are state-run Sanskrit language schools. More than 97,000 students are studying in these Sanskrit schools. In order to connect Sanskrit schools with modern education, computer education, and NCERT books we are being provided to students from classes 6 to 12.

It has also been decided to provide free food and hostel facilities to more than four thousand students of more than 200 ‘gurukul system of Sanskrit schools in the state. (UNI)