Chandigarh, Dec 31 (IANS): Punjab Higher Education and Languages Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Saturday released the logo of the 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Languages Department.

The department would be celebrating its 75th anniversary on January 1.

On this day, special functions will be organised at the head office of Bhasha Bhavan in Patiala and in all district language offices across the state.

Hayer said this department was established on January 1, 1948, as the Punjabi Section. In the year 1949 its name was changed to the Department of Punjabi and then from the year 1956 onwards as the Language Department, Punjab.

The department has published 1,632 books so far which include Lexicography and Punjabi World Dictionary which is the first work in Punjabi language.

For the convenience of students and researchers, it has done a unique work by printing about 35 dictionaries in Punjabi language. Rare Punjabi works like Mahan Kosh, Folk Tales of Punjab, Gulsitan Bostan, Shaheedan-e-Wafa have also been published.

The minister said the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is committed to the development of languages and giving due respect to the Punjabi mother tongue.

The Language Department has also done significant work for the development of Punjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu languages. The department publishes four magazines in different languages.

Hayer invited all the Punjabis to celebrate the foundation day of the Department of Language in a collective manner and also assured the Punjabis that this institution of the government will continue to progress further.