Classical status to 5 languages okayed

Bonus for rlys, Port Authority staff 2 umbrella schemes for farmers' welfare and food security

- MUKESH RANJAN

THE Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared a number of proposals, including granting 'classical language' status to five new ones like Marathi and Bengali, phase-II of Chennai Metro of 119 km, production-linked bonus to railways and Port Authority of India employees and an umbrella scheme for farmers' welfare and food security.

Briefing media after the meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that a proposal has been approved to give the status of "classical language" to five more languages Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit and Assamese.

The Minister said with this decision, the number of languages that have the "classical language' status has gone up from exiting six to 11.

The languages that already have the tag of 'classical language' are Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia.

Chennai Metro Phase-II

To unclog the densely populated southern city of Chennai, the cabinet approved Chennai Metro Phase-2.