Samrat welcomes Oxford-Mithila institute tie-up

Patna: CM Samrat Choudhary on Tuesday welcomed the proposed collaboration between the Mithila Sanskrit Research Institute, Darbhanga, and the UK-based Oxford Sanskrit Text Society, describing it as a historic opportunity for Bihar.Samrat said he had received a request in this regard from Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Kumar Jha. The proposal has been made by Oxford Sanskrit Text Society founder-president Diwakar Acharya.The CM said the partnership would strengthen the preservation, digitisation, research and global promotion of Mithila’s knowledge traditions, Sanskrit literature, ancient manuscripts and India’s cultural heritage.He added that former CM Nitish Kumar had announced the renovation and modernisation of the institute during his Pragati Yatra in Jan 2025. The state cabinet subsequently approved nearly Rs 57 crore in Feb 2025 for new buildings, campus development and manuscript conservation. Work on the project is underway to restore the institute’s national standing and strengthen its global academic profile.