Govt working on cultural development so that future generations can be proud of: Rajnath Singh

Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], January 6 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday that the government is working towards cultural development that is beyond preservation so that future generations can be proud of the country's culture.
The Defence Minister, along with Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, attended the foundation stone laying ceremony of Patanjali Gurukulam in Haridwar.
He also said that in the current circumstances, the role of Gurukul becomes very important in cultural development.
"The efforts that the government is making towards cultural upliftment do not only mean infrastructure development at cultural and heritage sites. When we were building the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor or infrastructure development in Mahakaleshwar Dham in Ujjain, connecting all the pilgrimage sites of the country and when a grand Ram temple was being constructed in this country. It does not mean at all that our focus is only on the infrastructure development of cultural places," said Rajnath Singh.
He added that the government is working towards cultural development that is beyond cultural preservation so that future generations can be proud of the culture of the country.
"We all know the importance of Sanskrit in our literature. Maharishi Patanjali also wrote important philosophies like Yoga Sutras in Sanskrit. The Guru tradition in India has also made a huge contribution to the promotion of Sanskrit, but at the same time, there is a worrying thing about Sanskrit. The number of people reading, writing and speaking it is continuously decreasing," he said.
"I would like to suggest to Acharyas and Gurus that, as you made a difficult discipline like Yoga accessible to the public, in the same way, you should also make some efforts regarding Dev Bhasha (Sanskrit)," the Defence Minister stated.
He added that every year, on June 21, the United Nations celebrates International Yoga Day all over the world. Yoga, which was considered limited to India only, is now being practised by the whole world, making it a part of their daily lives.
"Through the new education policy, the government is committed to inculcating moral values in the minds of students right from primary education. The new education policy is being implemented in many educational institutions across the country, although this process is very long because no change in the educational system comes suddenly," said Singh further.
"Gurukul can play a very important role in this long process. And Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust is moving towards establishing a huge and excellent Gurukul, which is a good sign for our education system," he added.
Gurukuls are becoming modern and state-of-the-art. Therefore, changing India and changing times demand that Gurukul, along with traditional education, should also advance itself in the areas of emerging and cutting-edge technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum technology, he said.
"In the coming times, Gurukul should think ahead of technologies like AI, etc., and develop such technologies that will make the nation a leader in the technology sector compared to other countries. I wish to see Gurukul as a guide for other educational institutions in India. In the times to come, Gurukul should once again represent India and Indian culture and become the new identity of India," he said. (ANI)