New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS): The Lok Sabha on Tuesday began a beginner-level course in French for the officials and staff of the LS Secretariat at the Parliament House.

As many as 57 officials registered for the course. Inaugurating the course, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, "Knowledge of language is extremely relevant in today's interconnected world and is a necessary skill for success in different fields."

Observing that language brings people together and helps improve their efficiency and skill, he said the "languages enrich us and bring people together".

Birla emphasised that one must strive to constantly improve his skills and efficiency with the knowledge of new languages. He mentioned that India is the land of diversity and the Parliament is the edifice of diversity.

He further said, "Lok Sabha, the popular House, is the temple of democracy and is the expression of the democratic will of 130 crore Indians. Members of Parliament can express themselves in 22 different Indian languages."

Birla lauded the fact that the Lok Sabha Secretariat had undertaken such a step for the benefit of its staff.

Birla appreciated the initiative undertaken by the Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE). He said that PRIDE must remain committed learning and research. He added that in the near future, courses in German, Spanish, Russian and other important world languages would also be organised.