Pariksha SaathiUnion Minister Dr Jitendra Singh Launches Redeveloped, Multilingual DST and MoST Websites
On 9 October 2026, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, unveiled the rebuilt official websites of the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology (dst.gov.in and most.gov.in). The redesign follows MeitY's Digital Brand Identity Manual (DBIM) 3.0 along with the GIGW 3.0 guidelines for government websites, and was carried out jointly with the National Informatics Centre. With Bhashini built in, content can now be read in 22 languages, while adjustable fonts, high-contrast modes and screen-reader support are meant to help users with different needs on phones, tablets and desktops alike. The minister described the portals as one gateway where students, researchers, start-ups and ordinary citizens can find DST grants, fellowships, schemes and calls for proposals, and tied the effort to the Prime Minister's citizen-first approach, summed up as 'Science by the People, Science for the People'.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The figure of 22 matches the number of languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Schedule began with 14 languages in 1950; Sindhi was added by the 21st Amendment (1967), Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali by the 71st Amendment (1992), and Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali by the 92nd Amendment (2003), taking the total to 22.
Reference: Department of Official Language (MHA) — languages in the Eighth Schedule
Check yourself: is English one of the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule?
No. English is not in the Eighth Schedule; its continued official use rests on Article 343(3) and the Official Languages Act, 1963, which are separate from the Schedule.
Revision task: list the three frameworks or tools named in this release — DBIM 3.0, GIGW 3.0 and Bhashini — and write one line on what each contributes to the new websites.
Test yourself
Using Bhashini, the redeveloped DST and MoST websites launched on 9 October 2026 let users read content in how many languages?
Show the answer
Answer: 22
Bhashini integration makes the content readable in 22 languages; the redesign follows MeitY's DBIM 3.0 and GIGW 3.0 guidelines and was carried out jointly with the National Informatics Centre.
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