The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives is actively working towards the implementation of Urdu as an official language in all government departments, in accordance with Article 251 of the Constitution.
To comply with a 2015 Supreme Court order, the ministry recently approved a revised PC-I of the project titled “Establishment of National Language Processing Laboratory (NLP-Lab)” worth Rs78.186 million.
The driving force behind these efforts is Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who aims to transition from manual to digital processes. The government is taking significant steps to promote the Urdu language, recognizing its importance.
?The Ministry of National Heritage and Culture Division is sponsoring the project, with the National Language Promotion Department (NLPD) responsible for its execution.
The primary objective of the project is to elevate Urdu to the status of languages with extensive digital data resources and equip it with modern technology applications. Dr. Rashid Hameed, Director General of NLPD, explains that the NLP-Lab project includes the development of various applications such as machine translation (MT), speech recognition (SR), and optical character recognition (OCR).
?These applications aim to make language learning more accessible, facilitate cross-border communication and commerce, enable online content access, promote cross-cultural understanding, and help preserve language resources.
Dr. Hameed believes that languages that adapt to the latest technology are more likely to survive in today’s world. Since assuming power in April 2022, the current government has made efforts towards digital transformation in the country.
?Last month, Minister Ahsan Iqbal established a steering committee consisting of experts from the information technology and private sectors to facilitate digital transformation and increase the country’s export volume.
Syeda Roshana Ali Naqvi, the Programme Manager for Research & Development at NLPD, provides further details about the project.
The MT module uses computer algorithms to automatically translate English text into Urdu. This module will efficiently translate various official documents, including policies, press releases, economic surveys, reports, plans, newsletters, notices, tenders, and advertisements.