<p>Senior Congress leader and former Union minister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday urged the Narendra Modi government to take steps for inclusion of Kannada as a classical language on the Unesco list.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, he said Kannada is an ancient language and was accorded classical language status by the Central government in 2008.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He hailed Kannada language for its “vastness and depth” saying that the World Economic Forum has also acknowledged Kannada’s “formidable presence” in its World Power Language Index, 2016.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“But Unesco has not yet given it classical language status. I would urge the Human Resource Development Ministry to take up the matter with the Unesco for inclusion of Kannada on its list of classical languages,” Moily said.</p>
<p>Senior Congress leader and former Union minister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday urged the Narendra Modi government to take steps for inclusion of Kannada as a classical language on the Unesco list.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, he said Kannada is an ancient language and was accorded classical language status by the Central government in 2008.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He hailed Kannada language for its “vastness and depth” saying that the World Economic Forum has also acknowledged Kannada’s “formidable presence” in its World Power Language Index, 2016.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“But Unesco has not yet given it classical language status. I would urge the Human Resource Development Ministry to take up the matter with the Unesco for inclusion of Kannada on its list of classical languages,” Moily said.</p>