750 books in 22 languages to be added in curriculum

NEW DELHI: Twenty-two Indian languages — classified under phase I and phase II of the Bharatiya Bhasha initiative — have now been integrated into the academic framework of universities.

Under the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Scheme (BBPS) — headed by the University Grants Commission and the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti — over 1,000 authors have been mobilised to produce foundational textbooks in these languages, with 23 universities as nodal agencies, aiming at making higher education more inclusive and rooted in linguistic diversity.

As of April 2025, over 750 books are in various stages of development, with 188 titles ready for publication, indicating a transformative shift in the higher education ecosystem, as India moves steadily towards implementing the goals of the National Education Policy 2020 . The initiative is a direct outcome of NE’s emphasis on multilingualism and mother tongue-based instruction .