Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday said research findings in English should be translated into various Indian languages to increase their reach, and the government should work towards it.
Naidu was speaking at an international symposium organised by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in Maharashtra's Nagpur city.
Addressing scientists at the event, the vice president said there was a need to translate science and research findings into Indian languages.
"People will not be able to understand your research, if it is only confined to English. In India, we have more than 760 languages and people will appreciate it better if it is told to them in their own language," he said.
Naidu said that is why wherever he goes, he tells people to know, promote and propagate their mother language.
"There is nothing wrong in knowing English, but before going to English, you should learn your mother tongue.
"Mother tongue is like your 'eyesight' other languages are your spectacles. This applies to all nations, everybody should feel proud of their mother tongue," Naidu said.
He further said it is not possible for everyone to learn every language.
Hence, it is the government's duty to see that all the research findings, teachings and preachings are translated into various Indian languages, he said.
Naidu also raised concern over the air and water pollution in cities.
"We cannot think of building a safe, secure, healthy and prosperous future when our cities, the engines of growth, are choking in noxious fumes, and when our water and soil are polluted," he said.
The Air Quality Index reports in most of the major cities frequently register the air quality as 'poor' or 'severe', he noted.
Quoting the Centre for Science and Environment's State of India's Environment (SoE) Report, 2019, the vice president said air pollution is responsible for 12.5 per cent of all deaths in India.
"The numbers are, indeed, alarming and a cause for great concern," he said.
Naidu informed that the government has started the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), a time-bound strategy to tackle rising air pollution.
The NCAP will be a mid-term, five-year action plan, starting this year. The programme's main aim is 20 to 30 per cent reduction of particulate matter concentration in the air by 2024, he said.
The World Economic Forum has found that the cost of environmental degradation in India is estimated to be Rs 3.75 trillion a year, he said.
The ultimate aim of all innovation and scientific breakthroughs must be towards betterment of human lives, alleviation of suffering and promotion of stability, peace and harmony, Naidu told the scientists.
"Let us love and live with nature," he added.
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