Content

1. Ol Chiki Script – 100 Years of Linguistic Empowerment
2. India-AI Impact Summit 2026 – Welfare for All, Happiness of All

Ol Chiki Script – 100 Years of Linguistic Empowerment

A. Issue in Brief

• Ol Chiki script completes 100 years (1925–2025/26); centenary formally commemorated by Government of India in 2026.
• Developed in 1925 by Pandit Raghunath Murmu to provide a scientific, phonetic script for Santhali language.
• Santhali included in Eighth Schedule (2003, 92nd CAA) → constitutional recognition.
• Constitution of India translated into Santhali in Ol Chiki (2025) → milestone in linguistic justice & democratic access.

Relevance

GS I (Indian Society & Culture)

• Tribal culture, language preservation, cultural diversity.
• Case study of indigenous knowledge systems & identity assertion.

GS II (Polity & Governance)

• Eighth Schedule, linguistic rights, Art. 29–30, 350A.
• Inclusive governance & access to justice via mother-tongue.
• Link with Fifth & Sixth Schedule areas.

• Issuance of ₹100 commemorative coin and postage stamp → national cultural recognition.

B. Static Background

1. About Santhali Language

• Belongs to Austroasiatic family (Munda branch).
• Spoken across Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar.
• One of the largest tribal languages in India.
• Historically sustained through oral traditions (songs, folklore, rituals).

2. Script Situation Before Ol Chiki

• Written using Roman, Bengali, Odia, Devanagari.
• These scripts failed to capture glottal stops, nasalisation, vowel length.
• Result: distortion in pronunciation, weak standardisation, poor literacy transmission.

3. Pandit Raghunath Murmu – Architect of Ol Chiki

• Born 1905, Mayurbhanj (Odisha).
• Revered as “Guru Gomke” (Great Teacher) in Santhal society.
• Created Ol Chiki in 1925 to give Santhali its own script.
• Authored “High Serena” (1936) – first Ol Chiki book.
• Other works: Bidu-Chandan, Kherwal Bir.
• Promoted literacy and cultural awareness among Santhals.
• Received honorary doctorate (Ranchi University) and Odisha Sahitya Akademi honours.

4. Features of Ol Chiki Script

• 30 letters (vowels + consonants).
• One symbol = one sound (pure phonetic design).
• Specifically captures Santhali phonology.
• Not derived from Brahmi → independent script creation.
• Easy for mother-tongue literacy.

C. Constitutional / Legal Dimension

• Article 29 & 30 → Protect linguistic minorities.
• Article 350A → Mother-tongue education at primary stage.
• Article 351 → Promotion of linguistic diversity.
• Eighth Schedule (22 languages) → Santhali added via 92nd CAA, 2003.
• Fifth & Sixth Schedules → Tribal self-governance; language improves access.

D. Governance / Administrative Dimension

• Eighth Schedule status enables:
  • Sahitya Akademi recognition.
  • Government support in education & publications.
• Santhali Constitution version (2025) → improves constitutional literacy.
• Strengthens participatory democracy in tribal belts.

E. Social / Ethical Dimension

• Script as symbol of identity, dignity, cultural resilience.
• Counters linguistic marginalisation of tribal groups.
• Promotes self-determination & cultural pride.
• Aligns with substantive equality (Art. 14) and social justice.

F. Economic Dimension

• Language access → better uptake of welfare schemes.
• Promotes tribal publishing, local media, cultural industries.
• Supports human capital formation via literacy.

G. Tech / Digital Dimension

• Need for:
  • Unicode standardisation
  • Ol Chiki keyboards & fonts
  • AI datasets & NLP tools
• Risk: Digital language divide if under-integrated.

H. Data & Evidence Value-Add

• UNESCO: ~40% global languages endangered.
• Tribal communities form ~8.6% of India’s population (Census 2011) → linguistic inclusion critical.
• Research shows mother-tongue education improves early learning outcomes.

I. Challenges / Gaps

• Symbolic recognition > ground implementation.
• Shortage of trained Santhali teachers.
• Limited textbooks & academic resources.
• Youth shift toward dominant languages for employment.
• Weak digital ecosystem.

J. Way Forward

• Dedicated tribal language teacher training institutes.
• Digital push: OCR, AI models, language corpora.
• Use Ol Chiki in local governance communication.
• Establish National Tribal Language Archive.
• Promote tribal literature, cinema, cultural economy.
• Align with:
  • SDG 4 (Education)
  • SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)
  • SDG 16 (Inclusive Institutions)

K. Exam Orientation

Prelims Pointers

• Santhali = Austroasiatic (Munda).
• Added via 92nd CAA, 2003.
• Ol Chiki created in 1925 by Raghunath Murmu.
• 30 letters; phonetic script.
• Art. 350A → mother-tongue education.

Mains Practice Question (15 Marks)

• “Promotion of tribal scripts and languages is essential for inclusive governance but requires sustained institutional support.” Discuss with reference to Ol Chiki and Santhali language.

India-AI Impact Summit 2026 – Welfare for All, Happiness of All

A. Issue in Brief

• India–AI Impact Summit 2026 inaugurated on 16 Feb 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
• Participation: 20+ Heads of State, 60 Ministers, 500+ global AI leaders .
• First global AI summit hosted in the Global South → geopolitical and technological significance.
• Anchored on 3 Sutras: People, Planet, Progress and 7 Chakras of cooperation.
• Linked with IndiaAI Mission and Digital India → AI for development model.
• Focus on responsible, inclusive, development-oriented AI.

Relevance

GS II (Governance & IR)

• Digital governance, AI regulation, data protection (DPDP Act 2023).
• India as norm-shaper in global AI governance (GPAI, Global South leadership).

GS III (Economy, S&T, Environment)

• AI as growth driver (productivity, startups, GDP impact).
• AI in agriculture, health, education.
• Green AI, energy use of data centres → environment link.
• Indigenous AI, compute sovereignty.

B. Static Background

1. Policy & Institutional Context

• IndiaAI Mission (2024 onwards) → national AI ecosystem (compute, datasets, skilling, startups).
• Digital India → digital public infrastructure base for AI deployment.
• GPAI (Global Partnership on AI) → India active member; promotes responsible AI.
• NITI Aayog (Responsible AI for All, 2021) → ethical AI roadmap.

C. Constitutional / Legal Dimension

• Article 21 → Privacy, dignity (AI surveillance concerns).
• DPDP Act 2023 → personal data protection in AI systems.
• IT Act 2000 → intermediary liability & digital governance.
• Need for AI-specific regulatory framework (risk-based approach).

D. Governance / Administrative Dimension

• AI in governance:
  • Translation of court judgments → access to justice.
  • Smart cities → traffic, waste, safety optimisation.
  • DBT & scheme targeting → efficiency gains.
• Summit promotes policy coherence and inter-ministerial coordination.
• Strengthens India’s role as norm-shaper in global AI governance.

E. Economic Dimension

• AI could add ~$500 billion to India’s GDP by 2025–30 (industry estimates).
• Supports startup ecosystem & MSMEs via democratized AI resources.
• AI-led productivity in agriculture, logistics, finance, health.
• Expo scale: 70,000+ sq. m; 300+ exhibitors; 30+ countries (tentative).
• Enhances India’s ambition to be global AI hub.

F. Social / Ethical Dimension

• AI for healthcare, education, financial inclusion.
• AI by HER Challenge → women-led innovation.
• YUVAi Challenge (13–21 yrs) → youth innovation.
• Ethical concerns:
  • Bias & exclusion
  • Digital divide
  • Job displacement
• Aligns with principle of “AI for All”.

G. Environmental Dimension (Planet Sutra)

• AI in precision agriculture, crop forecasting, drone monitoring.
• Environmental risks:
  • High energy use of data centres
  • Carbon footprint of large AI models
• Focus on Green AI & sustainable compute.

H. Science & Tech Dimension

• AI in drug discovery, diagnostics, outbreak prediction.
• Satellite & AI for weather and climate analytics.
• Push for indigenous AI models & datasets.
• Need for compute sovereignty to reduce Big Tech dependence.

I. Data & Evidence Value-Add

• AI for ALL / AI by HER / YUVAi → 4,650+ applications from 60+ countries.
• 70 finalists selected.
• Awards:
  • Up to ₹2.5 crore (AI for ALL / AI by HER)
  • ₹85 lakh (YUVAi).
• 250 research submissions from Africa, Asia, Latin America.

J. Challenges / Gaps

• Regulatory lag vs rapid AI growth.
• Skill gap in AI workforce.
• Dependence on foreign AI chips & cloud.
• Risk of data colonialism.
• Urban–rural AI access divide.
• Ethical risks in surveillance & misinformation.

K. Way Forward

• Risk-based AI regulation (like EU model but contextualised).
• Public investment in AI compute infrastructure.
• AI skilling mission for workforce transition.
• Promote open-source & sovereign AI models.
• Green AI standards for energy-efficient AI.
• Strengthen Global South AI coalition.
• Align with:
  • SDG 9 (Innovation)
  • SDG 16 (Institutions)

L. Exam Orientation

Prelims Pointers

• IndiaAI Mission → national AI ecosystem programme.
• DPDP Act 2023 relevant for AI data use.
• GPAI → international AI governance platform.
• AI energy use → emerging climate concern.

Mains Practice Question (15 Marks)

• “Artificial Intelligence can accelerate inclusive development but also raises governance and ethical challenges.” Examine in the context of India’s AI policy push and the India–AI Impact Summit 2026.