Bhubaneswar, Feb. 22: The state government's long-cherished dream to establish Odia chairs at universities will finally come true - at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

The state culture department today signed a memorandum of understanding with the JNU to set up an Odia chair at the Centre of Indian Languages under the School of Language Literature and Culture Studies of the varsity.

Named after legendary writer of the state, Adi Kabi Sarala Das, the chair aims to encourage students of the varsity to learn Odia and carry out research in Odia language and literature.

"We feel the chair will give a boost to the language and help popularise and promote the language on a national level. It will also help introduce history, traditions and distinctive features of Odia language and literature among the non-Odia speakers," said culture secretary Manoranjan Panigrahi.

The chair will consist of a professor, an assistant professor, a stenographer and an office attendant. It will have research students, who will take up subjects from classical and modern literature in Odia and compare it with the literature in other languages of that time.

A sum of Rs 2 crore will be provided to the varsity in the current financial year, while Rs 3 crore will be granted from the 2017-18 budget.

The state government has also plans to set up chairs at varsities such as the Banaras Hindu University, Delhi University, Sambalpur University and the Fakir Mohan University.

While the state government proposes to set up Odia chairs to promote the language, similar facilities at the Utkal and Berhampur varsities have been lying vacant for almost a decade.

Eight government universities in the state focusing on conventional streams of higher education have Odia departments, but no chairs in the Odia language.

The writers' fraternity in the state has welcomed the decision to open an Odia chair at the JNU. "I feel the government should make sure that experts who would head the chair are selected with precision. It is also important that the state universities get Odia chairs," said writer Neha Nayak.

Three years after Odia language was granted the classical status, the state government has failed to set up a centre of excellence for study of the language.