Centre sets apart Rs 100 cr to introduce Vedas in colleges

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said the Union government has set apart Rs 100 crore for the projects aimed at introducing Vedas and Indian languages in curriculum.

Students who clear Class X (Veda Bhushan) and Class XII (Veda Vibhushan) examinations offered by Vedic boards will now be eligible to join any college for higher education, including medicine and engineering. This decision comes after a government-designated body, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) agreed to reconginse Vedic education recently.

The decision will benefit the students from Vedic boards - Bharatiya Siksha Board (BSB), Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Sanskrit Shiksha Board (MSRVSSB) and Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Ved Vidya Pratisthan (MSRVVP) - who will not need not have to sit for another exam held by National Open Schooling Examination. Earlier, students from other boards had to clear NOSE exams to apply for admission to colleges for further education. Releasing Sanskrit translation of Laxmi Puran in Central Sanskrit University on Saturday, Pradhan highlighted how by assimilating the knowledge, values and message of Vedas, we can move towards social justice, women empowerment and women-led development. He hoped that the University would work to connect new generations with Indian languages, literature and heritage including Sanskrit.Laxmi Puran is a devotional lyrical poetry composed by the great saint poet, Balaram Das, in the 15th Century AD in Puri, Odisha. Balaram Das is known as the "Balmiki" of Odisha because of his "magnum opus" 'Ramayan' in the Odiya language. He belongs to the 'Panchasakha' era of Odiya literature known for the promotion of devotion and Brahma Jnana.