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Odia Virtual Academy launched

by Admin — last modified Oct 29, 2018 02:27 AM
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched a new web portal of ‘Odia Virtual Academy’ (www.ova.gov.in) to promote the Odia language and literature at the Secretariat here.

The article was published in the New Indian Express on October 27, 2018.

Launching the web portal, the Chief Minister said, “It is a matter of pleasure that the new web portal of the ‘Odia Virtual Academy’ is being dedicated today. Odia language has received the classical status.

A lot of literature has also been created in Odia language. The Academy has taken the responsibility for promotion, preservation and digitisation of the Odia language and literature.” Naveen said the new website will be helpful in the promotion of Odia language at the international level, especially for the Non Resident Odias (NROs). He said youths will also benefit from the Academy.

Three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed by the State Government with the University of Chicago library, CDAC and Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru to expedite digitisation of Odia literature and development of Odia software. “This will go a long way in enhancing the visibility of Odia language and literature in the digital space,” he said.

So far, as many as 170 books of Odia literature have been placed in the Academy website. The prime objective of the Academy is digitisation of about 2000 rare and copyright free Odia books and establishment of a free digital library, digitisation of various Odia dictionaries available presently for free access, promotion of Odia unicode font faces through standardisation of typing keyboards and making those affordable for public in coming six months and development of primers and uploading those for easy learning.

Besides, the Academy’s purpose is to digitise and preserve Odia lexicon, ancient magazines and journals, traditional music, ancient documents, literature on science and history, folk culture, tribal language and literature, history-oriented essays, speech of great personalities, Sri Jagannath culture, temple and its architecture.