AP to shift Telugu University

Vijayawada: The Official Language Commission will put in efforts to shift the Telugu University to Andhra Pradesh from Telangana state as it is the Manasa Putrika of former chief minister late N.T. Rama Rao, said Former Rajya Sabha member and commission chairman Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, he said the commission would  develop software to draft government letters. He also said that they would introduce the rich heritage of Telugu in school textbooks as per the directions of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The CM feels that by including this topic in school books, students would be able to know the history of the language and feel the need to preserve it from becoming extinct.

Mr Lakshmi Prasad said that the birth anniversary of Gidugu Rama Murthy is observed as Telugu Language Day every year since long. However, after bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana state has been commemorating the birth anniversary of Kaloji as Telugu Language Day.

He said that only a few chief ministers like P.V. Narasimha Rao, N.T. Rama Rao and Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy had stressed on promoting Telugu. After bifurcation of the state, the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh had done little to improve the status of Telugu language, he lamented.

He faulted the previous government for failing to take steps to keep its word of establishing Telugu University in the state and also making Telugu mandatory as the second language in Intermediate courses.