The Union government has granted classical language status to five more Indian languages—Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit, and Assamese. The announcement was made on Thursday by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw following a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"This is a historic decision," Vaishnaw said, noting that it aligns with Prime Minister Modi's vision of promoting Indian culture and heritage. He emphasized the significance of celebrating India's diverse languages and traditions.

Prime Minister Modi also shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter), expressing pride in the government's move. "Our government cherishes and celebrates India's rich history and culture. We have been unwavering in our commitment to popularising regional languages. I am extremely glad the Cabinet has decided that Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali, and Prakrit will be conferred the status of Classical Languages!" Modi wrote, congratulating those associated with these languages.

Regional leaders, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, expressed their gratitude and joy over the recognition of their respective languages.

With this decision, the total number of classical Indian languages rises to 11, joining Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Oriya, which had already been designated as classical languages.