Bhopal, April 3: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked hotel owners in Ujjain, the abode of Lord Mahakal, to use Hindi signboards instead of English, which he said will strengthen the local language.

Chouhan made this appeal at a programme to mark the 'Gaurav Diwas' of Ujjain, an ancient city, on Saturday evening on the occasion of Gudhi Padwa- the Hindu new year.

“We will have to make a new resolution. I request that the names of hotels in Ujjain, which are written in English, should be written in Hindi. Our academic development will happen only with the growth of our language,” Chouhan said.

He said Ujjain, also known as Ujjayani and Avantika, existed from the very beginning of creation.

Chouhan also said that the practice of begging on the streets in Ujjain, the seat of one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas' of Lord Shiva, should be stopped and instead a mass feast should be held regularly for the poor and their children to discourage begging. Madhya Pradesh: Woman Gives Birth to Baby With Two Heads, Three Hands in Ratlam.

“Some 'Anandak' centres should also be set up where people can donate the stuff which is useless for them while other people can take them as per their requirement,” Chouhan said, adding that the state government will pay the fees for the education of all such children.