VP lays foundation stone for NH projects and inland waterway in AP

Amaravati: Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday laid foundation stone for six national highway projects and dedicated seven national highway projects, costing Rs. 4153 crore in Andhra Pradesh. He also laid foundation stone for development of an inland waterway in the Krishna river between Muktyala and Vijayawada in the Andhra Pradesh capital region of Amaravati.

Expressing happiness over Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s intention of making Telugu language mandatory in schools, Venkaiah Naidu advised the state government to make knowledge of Telugu compulsory to get jobs in Andhra Pradesh and also to make it as mandatory subject for all students irrespective of medium of language the school adopts in the state. The Vice President, however, said that he was not against learning other languages but only want people to be proficient enough in their own mother tongue before pursuing other languages. Comparing mother tongue with eyes and other languages with spectacles, Naidu noted that spectacles are of no use without eyes “You learn your mother tongue first, learning other languages will be beneficial than,” he said.

Expressing his concern over the increasing trend among parents who believe that not admitting their children in convents will hinder their growth and future, Venkaiah Naidu pointed out that neither had he studied in an English medium school, nor had Chandrababu Naidu studied in a convent. “I have today become the Vice President after being minister and heading the party at the national level. Chandrababu Naidu has become Chief Minister. Though he has not studied in an English medium school, Narendra Modi heads a powerful nation - India - as its Prime Minister,” he pointed out. He emphasised that any officer from other places coming to the state to work here should be able speak and have knowledge of Telugu.

Naidu further said that as a Telugu person he is happy to see the state on the path of development. “I am happy to be part of an important event today, that sees the state getting waterways and projects to interconnect national highways,” he said and added that it is also important that the state capital Amaravati, which is the heart of the state be interconnected with other regions.

He also stressed on the need for interlinking of rivers and protection of rivers. He claimed that the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme which linked Krishna and Godavari rivers saved Krishna delta from a drought-like situation arising from water scarcity in river Krishna.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary and others participated in the programme.