The Ministry of Education has recently initiated a new campaign under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) called ‘Bhasha Certificate Selfie’. This campaign, launched in 2021, is part of the Bhasha Sangam initiative that was developed to promote cultural diversity and multilingualism across India.
Bhasha Certificate Selfie Campaign
The main purpose of Bhasha Certificate Selfie campaign is to encourage people to learn various Indian languages through the Bhasha Sangam mobile app. The app has been jointly created by the Ministry of Education and MyGov India. Launched on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2021, the app provides a platform for users to acquire basic conversational skills in Indian languages. The campaign has set a goal of helping 75 lakh people develop these language proficiency skills.
As part of the campaign’s engagement strategy, users are encouraged to upload selfies with certificates earned from the app on their social media accounts.
What is the Bhasha Sangam Initiative?
The Bhasha Sangam Initiative aims to instill basic communication skills in 22 Indian languages. These are the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Developed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the aim is to help people learn an Indian language other than their native tongue.
Learning materials are available on DIKSHA, ePathshala, and through 22 booklets.
Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Initiative
Launched in 2015, the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Initiative is a Ministry of Education project aimed at fortifying the unity and integrity of India. This is achieved by promoting mutual interactions and understanding between people of different states and union territories.
Under this initiative, each state or union territory is paired with another for a specific period. During this pairing, they engage in structured activities involving language, literature, cuisine, festivals, cultural events, and tourism.
The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
The languages included in the Bhasha Sangam Initiative are the 22 listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. This section of the Constitution specifically deals with languages and is described in Article 344 (1) and 351. The languages include Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili, and Dogri.
Changes to the Eighth Schedule, including the addition of new languages, are done through Constitutional Amendments.
By encouraging multilingual education, these initiatives aim to promote cultural diversity and unity in India while also fostering an appreciation for the country’s diverse linguistic heritage. The Bhasha Certificate Selfie campaign is just one part of these wider-ranging educational initiatives that engage millions of Indians across different states and union territories.