Another milestone was added to the journey of the Punjabi Language with the launch of the first Unicode based software “Akhar” 2016 by the Punjab Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal during the In-service Training Programme for IAS and PCS officers at Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration Punjab here today. This innovative application has been developed by the Department of Computer Sciences and Director of Research Centre for Punjabi Language of Technology of Punjabi University Patiala.In his inaugural address Mr. Sarvesh Kaushal said that this path-breaking and multipurpose system would contribute in the use of the Punjabi language conveniently in the official business of various departments of the Punjab government. Appreciating the efforts, of the Punjabi University in developing this, he asked the University authorities to conduct the training programmes exclusively for the Punjab Government officers and officials of different ranks to upgrade their acquaintance with the latest technological advancements in the field of computerization of Punjabi and other languages.
Exhorting the officers to be public servants in true sense, Mr. Kaushal impressed upon them to shun the feudal mindset and work with citizen-centric approach. He said that there should be no place for egoism and arrogance while discharging their official duties. He advised them to be thoroughly professional and keep updating the administrative skills in order to ensure efficiency and productivity. He also asked them to play proactive role in mitigating the critical situations and capably manage crisis, if any, in their jurisdiction. He also emphasized that the officers must reduce their dependence on the subordinate staff and accomplish the tasks in a time-bound manner with the help of technology.Highlighting the objectives of organizing the monthly training programmes for officers, Mr. Kaushal said that the aim is to develop their personality traits and equip them with the latest inputs by the experts in different fields. He said that the technical sessions every month are designed and suitably structured to educate the officers about various laws & Acts, socio-economic problems and trends, Civil and Human Rights etc. so that they are competent enough to handle the issues crop up in the course of their work. He advised them to periodically undertake self-introspection of their work and conduct and seek advice of the elders and experts and shun negativity in the larger public interest.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Jaspal Singh Vice Chancellor Punjabi University Patiala said that Punjabi University is the second university in the world, which is named after a language. It is, therefore, mandatory for the university to extensively promote Punjabi language, culture and ethos at the global arena besides pursuing academic goals. The software developed by the University is widely appreciated at all levels. He urged the Punjab government to develop a long-lasting relationship with the University for promoting the Punjabi language through computerization and other strategies.Giving a detailed presentation of Akhar-2016, Mr. Gurpreet Singh Lehal, Professor in the Department of Computer Sciences, Punjabi University Patiala said that the newly developed software is based on Unicode and unifies all languages. It involved two years of wide-ranging research work besides the efforts of the scholars to make it operational. He said that it has all the required features like accurate translations, spell check, converting of the text in other languages and also a dictionary.In the Technical Sessions, Dr. Nisha Jaiswal Professor, department of Laws Panjab University, Chandigarh addressed the officers on Human Rights in India, Mr. Chaman Lal Wason, Department of Scheduled Castes Punjab highlighted various laws relating to the protection of SCs/ BCs Acts. Besides, Mr. Ishwar Singh Director cum IGP State Narcotic Bureau gave a detailed presentation on Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Amendments Act 2014 and Mr. Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh IGP STF Punjab spoke on issues relating to Cyber Laws.