Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan addressed the 65th Foundation Day of NCERT and unveiled several new initiatives, including the upgraded Diksha 2.0 platform. He also released the book ‘Utkal Jananinkara Sujogya Santana’, highlighting the lives and contributions of 100 great personalities from Odisha.
The event was graced by eminent dignitaries such as Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, DoSEL; Shri Chamu Krishna Shastry, Chairman, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti; Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director, NCERT; Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairperson, UGC; Dr. Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, Former ISRO Chairman; and Prof. J. S. Rajput, Former NCERT Director, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Education and NCERT.
Shri Pradhan described NCERT as an “iconic institution” that has shaped generations of students with dedication and commitment. He emphasized that building a Samridhh Bharat by 2047 requires nurturing critical and creative thinking among students. He urged NCERT to champion multilingualism, transform knowledge into competency, and continue driving educational reforms that bring a paradigm shift in teaching and learning.
Speaking about technology-driven learning, the Minister highlighted Diksha 2.0 as a fully responsive, multi-device platform offering structured lessons, adaptive assessments, and AI-powered tools such as Read Aloud and multilingual text translation in 12 Indian languages. He shared encouraging feedback from students already benefitting from the platform, noting its role in learner-specific education and in empowering both teachers and students.
