The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: Weeks ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Union Cabinet on Thursday (October 3) approved a decade-old proposal to give classical language status to Marathi.
The Centre also named Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali and classical languages, reported The Indian Express.
“The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved to confer the status of classical language to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages. The classical languages serve as a custodian of India’s heritage, embodying the essence of a community’s historical and cultural milestone,” Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had termed Marathi India’s Pride.
“This honour acknowledges the rich cultural contribution of Marathi in our nation’s history. Marathi has always been a cornerstone of Indian heritage. I am sure with the status of a classical language, many more people will be motivated to learn it.”
A proposal was received from the Maharashtra government in 2013 requesting classical language status for Marathi, but later, the Ministry of Home Affairs had advised to revise the criteria and make it stricter.