British High Commission launches Hindi website

Website part of digital diplomacy

PTI | April 1, 2010



In an attempt to reach to more people in India, British High Commission today launched it's Hindi website hoping that this will bring a transformational change in the relations between both the countries.

The website -- www.ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/hi -- will be updated on a daily basis parallel to it's English counterpart.

The website has sections like news, business, details for British nationals, information about visas, studying and holidaying abroad.

Launching the website, British High Commissioner Sir Richard Stagg said, "given the fact that Hindi is the language more people speak in India and that the internet is becoming more popular, we hope that this move would bring a transformational change in our relations with the people here."

"This step is part of a wider strategy to communicate directly with the citizens of this country and elsewhere. We hope to communicate with communities which we haven't been able to till now," Stagg said.

Considering "digital diplomacy" to be as important as traditional diplomacy, he said, "in case of traditional diplomacy, it is just the government to government, whereas through websites or digital diplomacy, lobby groups, NGOs, society gets involved."

Relation between any two countries is not just about the government of one country and the other, the NGOs, lobby groups and society too shape the policy of a country, he said.

The Commission does not, as of now plan to have their website in other Indian languages, preferring to check the effectiveness of the newly launched website.

"We do not have any plans of having websites in other languages. If we are able to communicate effectively through this website, we will then see if we can be more ambitious," he said.

Comments

 

Other News

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter