New Delhi [India], January 4 (ANI): Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said that the New Education Policy follows the 'Nai Talim' of Mahatma Gandhi by giving importance to the mother tongue as a medium of instruction at the school level.

Addressing Virtually the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University in Wardha, the Vice President recalled that the "Nai Talim" proposed by Mahatma Gandhi in Wardha in 1937 laid emphasis on making mother tongue as the medium of instruction in addition to free compulsory education and skill training to the students.

Naidu said that our Constituent Assembly, after a long debate, accepted Hindi as the official language and also accorded constitutional status to other Indian languages in the Eighth Schedule. Noting that every Indian language has a glorious history and rich literature,"We are fortunate to have linguistic diversity in our country. Our linguistic diversity is our strength as our languages symbolise our cultural unity," said Naidu.

Referring to Mahatma Gandhi's views on language, the Vice President said that for Mahatma Gandhi, language was connected with national unity.

He further observed that even after insisting on Hindi, Mahatma Gandhi understood the sensitivity of every citizen to his mother tongue.

He also said that Indian languages have played an important role in keeping the overseas Indian community connected with the motherland India.

"It is expected of a civilized society that its language should be gentle, cultured, and creative. Let us exercise our freedom of expression with the decency of language and the discipline of words," he said.

On this occasion, the Vice President also unveiled the statue of Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and said that Dr Ambedkar remained committed to education and equality throughout his life.

He expressed confidence that the statue of Dr Ambedkar would be a source of inspiration for the teachers and students of Wardha University.

Vice President also inaugurated Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan and Chandrashekhar Azad Hostel in the university as part of its Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Recalling the contribution of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he said that "Atal Ji's address at the United Nations General Assembly in Hindi was a momentous occasion for the nation."He appealed to the youth to rise above caste, creed, gender and region and work for strengthening the unity of the nation.

Praising the achievements of the Wardha University, Naidu said that the University has made available many famous works of Hindi literature online, helping the readers sitting in distant countries access authentic Hindi literature. (ANI)