Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has criticized the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government for allegedly neglecting the promotion of the Punjabi language in the capital.
He highlighted staff shortages in institutions responsible for preserving the language, particularly the Delhi Punjabi Academy, which operates under the Department of Art, Culture, and Language (ACL).
Punjabi, along with Hindi and English, was accorded official language status in Delhi in 2003 by former President Abdul Kalam.
However, Saxena pointed to deficiencies in a status report submitted by the Punjabi Academy following concerns raised by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC).
He noted that the report was incomplete and failed to address the committee’s concerns.
Saxena directed the Chief Secretary to launch a thorough investigation and involve all relevant stakeholders.
He also emphasized the acute shortage of Punjabi teachers in Delhi government schools, with 752 junior Punjabi teacher posts and four senior Punjabi teacher posts remaining vacant.
The Punjabi Academy has reportedly underutilized its allocated budget for 2023-24, spending only ₹19.99 crore out of ₹27.28 crore.
Saxena observed that this underspending, coupled with a 17% reduction in the budget, has negatively impacted Punjabi language education and cultural development among students.
The Lieutenant Governor accused the Delhi government of lacking seriousness in fulfilling the Punjabi Academy’s mission and called for the identification of deficiencies and timely implementation of corrective measures in accordance with laws and guidelines.
The LG Secretariat stressed that this neglect has hindered linguistic and cultural development, urging immediate action to address gaps in teacher recruitment and resource allocation to ensure the preservation and promotion of the Punjabi language in Delhi.
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