To counter Pak, India to launch its own Urdu wiki

Anubhuti Vishnoi : New Delhi, Tue Jun 05 2012, 00:28 hrs
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/to-counter-pak-india-to-launch-its-own-urdu-wiki/957849/0

Come October, India will have its own Wikipedia in Urdu. The aim of the project is to not only provide authentic and comprehensive information in Urdu but to also counter Pakistan’s “propaganda” in the language.

The National Council for Promotion of Urdu language (NCPUL), which will launch the Urdu Wikipedia, has started work on the project.

India is concerned that its efforts and contribution to the Urdu language finds little mention internationally and particularity in the Urdu Wikipedia started from Pakistan. “Unfortunately, people from Pakistan are more in number and they keep their national interest ahead and mention India only where it is unavoidable. Creating our own “Urdu-Wiki” will enable us to tell our version of the story for promotion of Urdu language and literature,” NCPUL has stated, adding that Wikipedia’s Urdu version from Pakistan does not translate India’s effort in the field of Urdu language and literature and often editors erase India-centred posts or information

“Just like in Wikipedia, people will be able to provide and collect information about almost anything in the world. In Wikipedia, information contributed is vetted for authenticity by experts; we will do the same to ensure that information provided to the public is a rich database free of prejudice and misinformation. The NCPUL will attach its Urdu encyclopedia with the wikis,” Dr Khwaja Mohammed Ekramuddin, Director of NCPUL, said.

The NCPUL has also begun uploading digitalised Urdu texts on various subjects on its website and hopes to upload over 1,200 textbooks in Urdu in digital format.

Govt panel to develop new JEE software

Unfazed by objections to the new Common Entrance Exam proposed for admission to IITs and all other engineering institutes, the HRD Ministry on Monday started work on taking the proposal forward. A committee has been set up to develop a software that will take forward the new JEE plan for 2013, complete with systems for separate rankings for IITs and all other institutes, online formats for weightage and percentile formula, optical mark reader-based assessment of examination papers and so on.