Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu today set a record of sorts when he spoke in ten languages on the opening day of the monsoon session as he announced that the Upper House now has facility for simultaneous interpretation in 22 Indian languages.
Of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule, the Rajya Sabha earlier had simultaneous interpretation services for 17 languages including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
These services have now been made available for Rajya Sabha members to speak in five more languages -- Dogri, Kashmiri, Konkani, Santhali and Sindhi, Mr Naidu announced today.
Making the announcement, Mr Naidu spoke few words in Bangla, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu to inform the members about the simultaneous interpretation service.
However, members will have to give a prior notice for the interpreter in the Upper House secretariat.
Mr Naidu said there may be some shortcoming in the beginning as translators may not be attuned to the speed of the speaker.
Describing it as a wonderful gesture, Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy said efforts should be made to include Sanskrit words too in the vocabulary.
Mr Naidu said the Rajya Sabha has for the first time in 66 years signed a pact with a parliamentary institution of a foreign nation when it entered into an MoU with the Senate of Rawanda earlier this month.
The MoU provides for inter-parliamentary dialogue and parliamentary exchange visits among others, he said.
Till now, only Lok Sabha used to enter into such kind of agreements with foreign parliamentary institutions.
After Himachal Tie Loss, Abhishek Singhvi Up For Telangana Rajya Sabha Seat Money Laundering Charges Against Trinamool's Saket Gokhale: Probe Agency Protesters Outside UK Parliament Condemn Violence Against Bangladeshi Hindus 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court Trump, Musk Groove To Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive' In AI-Video Now Viral "Want To Ask Congress...": Mamata Banerjee Snaps At Ally In Rape-Murder Case 1.4 Million Afghan Girls Banned From Schools Since Taliban Return To Power US Judge Says "Monopolist" Google Can't Avoid App Store Reforms NASA To Decide Stranded Starliner Astronauts' Route Home By End Of Month Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.