The Government of India has clarified that it has not received any formal proposal from the Manipur Government for granting Classical Language status to Manipuri (Meiteilon). The information was revealed in the Lok Sabha in response to an unstarred question raised by Dr. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam on December 1.
Responding to the query, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the Ministry of Culture only initiates examination of such requests upon receiving comprehensive proposals and evidentiary documents from the respective State Governments. “No proposal from the Government of Manipur has been received in this regard so far,” the Minister stated.
Dr. Bimol Akoijam sought details on the steps taken or proposed by the Centre to confer Classical Language status on Manipuri, describing it as one of India’s most ancient and advanced languages within the Tibeto-Burmese linguistic family, an observation also noted by eminent linguist and Constituent Assembly member Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee.
