Punjabi Wikimedians urge Government to release publicly funded content under open licenses
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ March 21,2026
During a Wikipedia training workshop organized by the Punjabi Wikimedians User Group in collaboration with the World Punjabi Centre at Punjabi University, Patiala, a formal memorandum was submitted to the chief guest, Tejinder Mehta, Chairman of the District Planning Committee Patiala. The inaugural session was chaired by Dr. Bhim Inder Singh, Director of the World Punjabi Centre, with eminent translator Charan Gill, Dr. Pawan Tibba (Principal, Northern Regional Languages Centre), and noted writer Balram Bodhi attending as special guests.
Group’s media advisor Aman Arora stated that the memorandum, presented by senior Wikimedians Satdeep Gill, Nitesh Gill, and Group’s Coordinator Kuldeep Burj Bhalaike, urges the Punjab Government to exempt all content produced using public funds from copyright restrictions. The group emphasized that in the era of Artificial Intelligence, the preservation and global promotion of the Punjabi language depend on the widespread availability of digital knowledge. They argued that since such materials, including books, research papers, and official reports, are created using taxpayer money, they should be treated as a shared heritage accessible to students, researchers, and the general public.
The memorandum highlighted that states such as Tamil Nadu and Odisha have already implemented similar open-access policies, aligned with the Government of India’s Open Data License Policy. The Punjabi Wikimedians User Group pledged that if the demand is met, they will lead the effort to digitize and host this content across various Wikimedia Foundation projects.
Tejinder Mehta responded favorably to the proposal, assuring the group that he would advocate for this policy change with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and relevant authorities. In his presidential address, Dr. Bhim Inder Singh echoed these sentiments, asserting that knowledge should be open rather than restricted to foster the digital growth of Punjabi. He confirmed the World Punjabi Centre’s full support for adopting open licenses within government and educational institutions.
Further highlighting the urgency of the digital age, Charan Gill noted that volunteer-driven Wikimedia projects are vital to expanding the repository of Punjabi knowledge.
