Madhya Pradesh introduces Hindi-medium BTech in civil engineering, offers Rs 2 lakh final-year incentive

A Hindi-medium BTech programme in civil engineering has been introduced in Madhya Pradesh from the current academic session, with students enrolled in the course eligible for a Rs 2 lakh incentive from the state government in their final year, officials said on Thursday.

The programme has been launched at Shri G S Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS), an aided autonomous institute and one of the prominent engineering colleges in central India. Under the initiative, 30 seats have been earmarked for a dedicated Hindi-medium batch in civil engineering.

Around 20 students have already secured admission to the programme, officials said. The initiative aims to provide students with the opportunity to pursue technical education in Hindi while also encouraging them to take up engineering studies.

Students enrolled in the special batch will be eligible for the state government's Rs 2 lakh incentive upon reaching their final year, officials said. The initiative has been introduced in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) to make technical education more accessible to students who studied in Hindi-medium schools.

Sunil Ajmera, head of the civil engineering department at SGSITS, said that over the years the institute had observed that many students who studied in Hindi medium up to Class 12 found it difficult to pursue engineering in English, with some even dropping out midway.

"Keeping this aspect in mind, the B.Tech civil engineering course has begun in Hindi so that students can study and appear for examinations in their mother tongue," Ajmera said. The institute prepared for the Hindi-medium course for several years before introducing it.

Vivek Tiwari, assistant professor in the civil engineering department, said institute experts had been translating English technical study material into Hindi for the past four years. Workshops were also organised to train teachers to teach in Hindi, he said.

Faculty members said students enrolled in the Hindi-medium course were also provided essential English language skills to ensure they remain competitive in the current environment. The objective of offering civil engineering in Hindi is not to distance students from English but to provide them technical education in their mother tongue while ensuring they acquire the English skills necessary for their careers, they said.