CHENNAI: The State government on Tuesday issued orders to allot Rs 5 crore for setting up a Tamil literature department in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

According to the order, the existing Tamil department under the centre for Indian languages will be transformed into an independent Tamil literature department to focus on research in Tamil literature, research in Tamil and Dravidian languages, study of history of Tamil and southern literature and research on social sciences.

This is the first Tamil literature department started in a university in north India and vice-chancellor of the university Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, in a letter of appreciation, said that setting up of a Tamil literature department, according to her, "is a service rendered to the language.”

“ As a person with Tamil as my mother tongue and vice-chancellor of JNU I am proud of the steps taken by the Chief Minister and thank him on behalf of the University,” she said.

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