The district-wise and tribe-wise data on the Atlas of Tribal Languages of India is being collected.
(iii) Reading Unit As part of the Technology transfer project, orientation pro- grammes were conducted for school teachers and teacher educators on 'Language-Teaching-Method Material and Medium' and for students on Demonstration of Audio-Visual aids and testing of the ability in reading, speaking in English, Hindi and Kannada. A comprehensive report of the reading speed of ten students in three languages has been prepared.
(iv) Material Production Unit Need based Courses were organised for special groups of learners. A Correspondence Course in Tamil has been started for non-Tamil speakers. 170 students have registered for the certificate course this year.
(v) Publications : 1. Language load.
2. Sociolinguistic Survey of Indian Sindhi.
3. Adult Literacy Reader--Copy Book in Manipuri.
4. Classified Bibliography of linguistic Dessertation on Indian Languages.
5. Classified Bibliography of Articles published in Indian Languages.
6. Studies in Munda Numerals.
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The following books are in Press:
1. Malto-An Ethno-Semantic Study
2. Tamil Basic Course.
3. Kannada State level Primer.
4. Language Use in Himachal Pradesh.
5. Linguistics, Language and Literacy Education.
(vi) Regional Language Centres The Southern Regional Language Centre organised 3 refresher courses of 3 weeks duration in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada at Nagercoil, Hyderabad and Mysore respectively. An Integration Camp for Kannada was held in May for 10 days at Mysore in which 9 teachers and 89 students participated.
The Academic Session 1978-79 in Regional Language Centers started in July 1978. 314 teacher trainees have been admitted in all the Centres for intensive training programme in major Indian Languages.
C. PROMOTION OF ENGLISH & OTHER FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad An autonomous Body set up by this Ministry and fully financed through the University Grants Commission, this Institute is deemed to be a university under the UGC Act. It has a regional Centre at Shillong to look after the needs of the North-eastern region. Another Centre for the Northern region is being set up at Lucknow this year. During the year under report the department of Arabic has been started at the Institute.
During the year the Institute carried on with it, teacher train- ing programmes in English, French, German and Russian, research on the methodology of teaching, production of teaching materials and extension services. The training programme has been diversified to meet the needs of key personnel in definite areas of English and foreign languages teaching in the country. Areas of meaningful research have been indentified and efforts are being made to publish the findings. The scope of extension services has
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been broadened to give effective assistance both at the college and secondary levels for the improvement of standards of English teaching. The M.A. (Correspondence-cum-contact course) in French and German was introduced during the year. About 1479 participants are on the rolls for the courses for various diplomas and degrees in English, French, German and Russian. Ten M.Litt. dissertations have been completed in different subjects regarding Lexicography, English learning/teaching in different groups, translation evaluation etc.
Radio lessons in English were produced for various classes at school level. Three textbooks for various classes at the school level were also completed during the year and another five are under preparation.
Four five-weeks summer Institute contact programmes in English were held during the year in collaboration with the UGC and the British Council. A new Post-graduate Diploma in the teaching of English by correspondence started in October this year with 95 participants. Workshops and seminars for the producers of Radio programmes on syllabus and examinations in English for universities in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Union Territories, were held. Extension programmes for the improvement of English teaching and proficiency in English were held for various universities, schools and colleges and diagonostic tests were administered for probationers and students at various institutions Short need based courses were also conducted to meet the demands of various organisations. These were in such areas as courses in Phonetics & Spoken English, Orientation course for Post- graduate teachers of English, Capsule Course in Report-writing etc.
D. PROMOTION OF SANSKRIT AND OTHER CLASSICAL
LANGUAGES SUCH As ARABIC AND PERSIAN
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan More than 825 students were admitted into the Kendriya Sanskrit Vidyapeethas which are constituent Units of the Sansthan for various courses. 68 new publications from the Sansthan as well as from the Vidyapeethas are likely to be published during the year (10 publications have already been published so far). 473 scholarships were awarded to the students of Vidyapeethas under the Sansthan. Free hostel facilities have been provided to more than 300 students. Teacher Training facilities have been provided to about 121 students. Over 2524 students are expected to appear in the various examinations of the Sansthan.
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Scholarships Research scholarships to 173 students of traditional Sanskrit Pathshalas have been awarded during the year. Besides 150 scholarships were awarded to students pursuing Shastri and Acharaya courses and more than 800 scholarships for Post-matric studies in Sanskrit, amounting to about Rs. 9 lakhs.
Financial Assistance to voluntary Sanskrit Organisations Grants amounting to about 30 lakhs are likely to be released to about 750 Voluntary Sanskrit Organisations and 15 Gurukulas by the end of the year. A sum of Rs. 18.00 lakhs has already been sanctioned to about 300 institutions.
Publication of Dictionary based on Historical Principles The project is being implemented in the Deccan College Post- Graduate and Research Institute, Poona. The work on the preparation of the Critical Sanskrit Dictionary on historical principles has been making steady progress and the College brought out the third fascicule of 300 pages and completed the first Volume in three parts.
Adarsh Sanskrit Pathshalas Grants amounting to about Rs. 6.00 lakhs are likely to be released to six Adarsh Sanskrit Pathshalas. Out of this Rs. 4 lakhs has already been released. One more pathshala is also likely to be given grants during the year.
Financial assistance to voluntary Arabic and Persian
organisations Grants amounting to about Rs. 5 lakhs are likely to be released to more than 100 Voluntary Arabic and Persian Organisations by the end of the year. A sum of Rs. 3.50 lakhs has already been released to about 80 institutions.
Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the promotion of Sanskrit (i) Rendering financial assistance @ Rs. 1,800.00 per annum to eminent Sanskrit Pandits. At the moment about 1000 Sanskrit Scholars are receiving assistance under this scheme.
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(ii) Award of Scholarship @ Rs. 10.00 per month to the students of High/Higher Secondary School studying Sanskrit. About 2500 students are getting this Scho- larship.
(iii) Providing facilities for teaching of Sanskrit in Secondary Schools. At present 9 States are taking ad- vantage of this scheme.
(iv) Modernisation of Sanskrit Pathshalas. Nine States and Union Territories are taking advantage of this Scheme.
(v) Grant to State Governments for promotion of Sans- krit. Assistance at the rate of 100 per cent is now being provided to 13 States under this scheme.
A sum of about Rs. 19.30 lakhs is expected to be incurred on this during 1978-79.
Production of Sanskrit Literature To encourage the production of new Sanskrit Literature and preserve ancient literature, financial assistance is given to indivi- duals, organisations, research institutions and universities for the publication of works relating to Sanskrit language and literature, printing of out-of-print Sanskrit works, printing critical editions of rare Sanskrit manuscripts and bringing out Sanskrit journals. Copies of books relating to Sanskrit are also purchased. Work on the following works for which assistance has been sanctioned, was in progress :
(i) Preparation & publication of critical edition of Mahapuranas by the All India Kashiraj Trust, Varanasi.
(ii) Dharam Kosha, by Dharam Kosha Bandal, Wai, Satara.
(iii) International project of preparation of critical Pali Dictionary at Government Sanskrit College, Calcutta.
(iv) Preparation & Publication of editions of Taitiriya Samhita, Shrauta Kosha & Avestan by Vedic Samshodhan Mandal, Poona. First Volume of the Descriptive catalogue of 65000 Sanskrit Manuscripts was brought out by Oriental Research Institute, Mysore.
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All India Elocution Contest for the Students of Sanskrit Path-
shalas The seventeenth All India Elocution Contest for the students of Sanskrit Pathshalas was held at Gauhati in the month of January, 1979. Students from different States and Union Territory participated in the contest. Simultaneously a Vedic Convention was also held at Gauhati in which about 65 Vedic Scholars took part and recited different Shakhas of four Vedic Samhitas.
From last year, a scheme `Preservation of the tradition or Vedic Recitation' was introduced under which Vedic Scholars have been selected to train two students each under them in the art of recitation of Vedic Samhitas. Every Vedic Scholar gets Rs. 500.00 per month and a student Rs. 100.00 per month. Scholarships to 3 Scholars and 6 students were sanctioned this year.
Sanskrit Day To popularise Sanskrit among general public, the Shravani Purnima is being celebrated as Sanskrit Day, since 1969. by States, Union Territories and the Centre. This year's Sanskrit Day was observed on the 18th August, 1978 (Raksha Bandhan).
Award of Certificate of Honour to Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic
Scholars with Monetary Grant of Rs. 3,000.00 per Annum Transferred from Ministry of Home Affairs, this Scheme envisages, giving of President's Award to 6 Sanskrit, one each of Persian and Arabic Scholars on the 15th August, which includes, grant of Rs. 3,000.00 per year, for life and Robe of Honour at the Investiture ceremony. The total number of Scholars now getting the Award is 97.