The Centre on Friday unveiled the first Indian Sign Language Dictionary with 3,000 words in both Hindi and English along with their representations, PTI reported.

“The basic aim of developing the ISL Dictionary is to remove communication barriers between the hearing and speech-impaired communities as it is focused on providing more information in Indian sign language,” Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot said at the launch.

The dictionary was developed by the Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and it took over a year to create, NDTV reported.

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The lexicon has words under five categories – legal terms, medical terms, academic terms, technical terms and daily-use words – and is available in both print and video formats.

“It will also enable government officials, teachers, professionals, community leaders and the public at large to learn and use sign language,” a senior ministry official told PTI.