Use Hindi besides regional languages, Naidu urges people

Guwahati, April 18 (PTI): Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today urged the people to use Hindi in their day-to-day life along with the regional languages.   "The Centre is using more and more Hindi in government programmes and policies and we have to make the habit of using the Rashtrabhasha in our day-to-day life, along with the regional languages," the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister said while presiding over a meeting of the Joint Hindi Advisory Committee here.   "Rashtrabhasha Hindi is an important tool and language for the development of the nation," Naidu, also the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, added.   Emotions could be easily and effectively shared with others in the mother tongue as well as in Hindi, he said.   Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was also present at the review meeting, urged everyone to try and learn Hindi and use it more.   He thanked the Union minister for organising the meeting of the Joint Hindi Advisory Committee in Guwahati.   Members of the Joint Hindi Advisory Committee of various states, including secretaries and senior officers of both the ministries -- Information and Broadcasting and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation -- were present at the meeting.   The committee undertook a review of use of Hindi as per the provisions of the Official Language Policy of 1963.   Naidu described the role of the public broadcaster as "critical" in spreading the "development story" of the government, especially the programmes and policies specific to the north-eastern region.   He said it was essential to develop programmes in local dialects and languages in order to reach out to diverse sections and added that currently, the All India Radio broadcasts in 28 dialects of the north-east.