Agartala: Sept. 9: Tripura’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ratan Lal Nath, has announced a set of new initiatives, including the introduction of the Chakma script on Google’s translation platform. The announcement came during a meeting of the advisory committee set up to promote minority languages. 
Nath said seven sub-committees have been formed to take the work forward, beginning with the collection and digitisation of around 50,000 Chakma words, with more to be added later. He also revealed that a National Seminar will be held to further explore ways of strengthening language development.
As per the 2011 census, Tripura had about 79,000 people from the Chakma community. Recent non-government data now estimates the population to be closer to 1.25 lakh. The Directorate of Kokborok and Other Minority Languages has been leading the efforts, focusing on the linguistic growth of eight minority groups, including Chakma, Manipuri and Kokborok.
At present, Chakma is being taught in 123 schools across Tripura, from Class 1 to 8, marking an important step in preserving the community’s language and cultural heritage.
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