Date:05/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/05/stories/2008110553580300.htm

Other States - Orissa

House panel from AP on study tour in State

Staff Reporter

Members start interacting with Telugu-speaking people and organisations

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

TAKING STOCK: The House committee from Andhra Pradesh, led by A. Chakrapani (centre), visiting Government Girls High School in Berhampur on Tuesday.

BERHAMPUR: A House committee from Andhra Pradesh Assembly on a visit to Orissa reached Berhampur on Tuesday. The committee with A. Chakrapani as its chairman is in Orissa to study the state of culture and Telugu medium education for Telugu speaking linguistic minority in Orissa. The other members of the committee included MLA of Vizainagaram, P. Sambasiva Rao, members of the Legislative council -- Raudrraju Padmaraju, B. Kamlakar, R. Ratnakumari and director of the International Telugu Centre at Poti Sriramulu Telugu University, D. Muniratnam Naidu.

In the morning, the committee visited the City High School and the Government Girls High School and interacted with the Telugu medium students, their parents and teachers. Later, they reached the Andhra Bhashabhivardhini Samajam (ABS) in the city to hold discussions with members of different Telugu institutions and organisations.

The ABS handed over a memorandum to the House committee in which they described the problems of Telugu medium education in Orissa and the measures that could be taken to solve the problems. They urged the committee to take up the matter with the Orissa government during their meeting with Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

To meet CM, Speaker

The House Committee would also visit Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and interact with Telugu speaking linguistic minorities at these places.

As per schedule they will meet the speaker of Orissa Assembly and the State Chief Minister before their departure from Orissa.

The Telugu cultural groups of the city and other parts of Orissa were happy due to some promises made by Mr. Chakrapani at the ABS. The secretary of the ABS, R. Surabbai, urged the House committee to make arrangements so that cultural troupes from outside Andhra could participate in major cultural events in Andhra Pradesh.

He also added that during selection of names for felicitation of persons for their work for promotion of Telugu language and culture the Telugus living outside Andhra should be taken into account. Mr. Chakrapani accepted both these proposals. He also promised that he would take up the matter with Andhra cultural department so that Telugu theater troupes from outside could participate in famous Nandi Utsav and delegates from outside Andhra could get invited to Telugu language conferences.