HYDERABAD, Feb 16: Sindh Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of development works of the Sindhi Adabi Board in Jamshoro.

The development works included a new administration block, museum, auditorium and a display centre.

Dr Khuhro, who is chairperson of the board, also held a meeting with language experts and intellectuals to discuss problems confronting the Sindhi language and literature.

Speaking on the occasion, she said the Sindh government was making efforts for development and promotion of the Sindhi language and literature.

She claimed that steps taken by her ministry for development of the board were unparalleled since the inception of the institution. She pointed out that the board had been founded by her father, Khan Bahadur Mohammad Ayoub Khuhro, G. M. Syed and others to promote the Sindhi language and literature.

The minister, however, said that due to administrative negligence, the board had suffered losses and the language and literature had also received a setback. She pledged that this would not happen again.

According to reports, she also lauded services of the secretary of the board. She said the board had published 150 old and 30 new books in two and a half years which was commendable.

She announced that to promote the Sindhi literature, 500,000 pages of historical books of the board would be brought on the Internet.

Dr Khuhro said many schemes were in the pipeline for welfare of writers, adding that a writers’ welfare fund had already been established for needy writers. She said upcoming books of writers on different subjects as well as select international literary books would also be published. She also announced that the board would give an annual award to writers.

She said efforts were being made to increase the annual grant of the board from Rs7.5 million to Rs10 million.

Educationist and intellectual Dr Nabi Bux Khan Baloch, Dr G. A. Allana, University of Sindh vice-chancellor Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, Dr Fehmida Hussain Memon, Hameed Sindhi, Mansoor Qadir Junejo and board secretary Inam Shaikh attended the meeting.