Vijayawada: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for a national waterway at the Krishna River on Tuesday. He also inaugurated seven national highway development works. While addressing the gathering at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Stadium, he said that it was mandatory for residents of the state to learn Telugu. He suggested to the Chief Minister that he should only provide jobs to candidates proficient in the language.

An 82-km-long inland waterway will be developed between Muktyala and Vijayawada in Phase-1, as part of National Waterway-4, under the Sagar Mala Project. It will primarily be used for the transportation of cement and construction materials to Amaravati, the new capital city. It will also improve connectivity to important tourist and pilgrimage spots.

Floating terminals will be built at tourist spots Durga Ghat and Bhavani Island in Vijayawada, and pilgrimage centres Vedadri and Amaravati. Three fixed terminals at Muktyala, Ibrahimpat-nam and Harishchandrapuram will handle cargo operations. In Phase-2 of the project, canal navigation will be developed between Vijayawada and Kakinada. The two phases will cover a length of 315 km in all and will cost Rs 7,015 crore.

13 national highway projects, with a total cost of Rs 4,153 crore, were launched on Tuesday. Among these projects was the 17.20-km-long four-lane bypass road to Vizianagaram town, which will cost Rs 430 crore.

While addressing a gathering, Mr Venkaiah Naidu lauded the state on its growth and development. He also emphasised the importance of learning one’s mother tongue. He advised Mr Chandrababu Naidu to preferentially employ those proficient in Telugu. “If you do that, everyone will study Telugu and patronise the mother tongue of millions in the state. It will automatically solve several problems.”

The Vice President said that he was not against people learning other languages, he only wanted them to be proficient in their own mother tongue first. Comparing one’s mother tongue to the eyes and other languages to spectacles, he said that spectacles were of no use without eyes. “You should learn your mother tongue first, and then learn other languages,” he said.

Expressing concern over the belief among parents that their children would have a brighter future if admitted to a convent school, Mr Venkaiah Naidu pointed out that neither had he studied in an English-medium school nor had Mr Chandrababu Naidu studied in a convent. He said that despite not having studied in an English-medium school, Mr Narendra Modi was the Prime Minister of the country.

He said that officers coming to the state from other parts of the country should also have knowledge of and be able to speak Telugu.

Mr Venkaiah Naidu also participated in 13th anniversary celebrations of Rytu Nestam, a weekly magazine, which was held at the Swarna Bharat Trust building. He said that farmers weren’t receiving minimum support price for their crops. He said that according to a survey, the suicide rate was lower among farmers who focused on dairy farming. The Vice President also said that he believed that loan waivers would only provide farmers with temporary relief. He suggested that farmers adopt innovative measures for the success of their crops.

The Ministers of Agriculture of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh attended the programme where awards were distributed to farmers and journalists for their meritorious achievements.