Tirupati to get AP Telugu Sanskrit Akademi

Tirupati: Paving the way for setting up Telugu Akademi in the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh, the State Cabinet has accepted a proposal in its meeting on Thursday.

The Telugu Akademi which was in Hyderabad was included in the X schedule of the AP Reorganisation Act and the distribution of its assets is not yet completed.

During the last six years, Andhra Pradesh Telugu Akademi has almost become non-functional with much restricted activities. It has about 60 staff members with some of them working in Hyderabad while the others are at its regional centres at Tirupati, Anantapur, Guntur, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

It was learnt that these staffers were not getting salaries for the past 6-7 months. All these were looking for a separate Academy for the State of AP so that the activities can be restarted.

In this backdrop, the State Cabinet has mulled to start a new academy in Tirupati with the name 'AP Telugu Sanskrit Akademi' under AP Higher Education Society.

Hailing this decision, the former Director of Telugu Akademi Prof S J Prathap Reddy has said that the institution has deposits worth about Rs 400 crore.

Speaking to The Hans India, he explained that even though immovable properties are not divided, the deposits have to be divided in 58-42 ratio between AP and Telangana.

In that case the State would get around Rs 250 crores. By establishing a separate academy here, the State can now ask Telangana for the division of assets which was not done during the last six years.

Explaining further, he said, with a meagre investment the State could build an office and godown in Tirupati and start all activities soon.

Within one year they can start publishing books for Intermediate and degree students. "As Tirupati has been developing as an education hub, giving the proposed Telugu Sanskrit Akademi to the city would be much useful and the decision has to be welcomed.

It's a good step in the right direction", he maintained.

Meanwhile, there was a view that adding Sanskrit also in the name of the academy would go a long way in the development of the two languages.

Much research work can be carried out by joining hands with the National Sanskrit University in Tirupati and bring in more great contributions to the literary world.