Push for Kannada has officials in government departments, banks jittery

After job quota for Kannada medium applicants, separate state flag and teaching of language in professional courses, Kannada Development Authority advances its agenda.
KDA Chairman Prof Siddaramaiah (right) and Director Tourism Dept Dr Manjula N  at a meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday. | Express Photo Service
KDA Chairman Prof Siddaramaiah (right) and Director Tourism Dept Dr Manjula N at a meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday. | Express Photo Service

BENGALURU: The recent activism of the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has created a flutter not only in the state government departments, but with central-government organisations as well. While state departments have been criticised for not preferring Kannada as their main language on their websites, a recent letter shot off to banks asking their non-Kannadiga employees to learn the language has created uncertainty among employees of non-Kannadiga origin.

Recently, the KDA shot off letters to banks stating that they should make sure that non-Kannadigas should Kannada in six months in accordance with central rules on recruitment in banking, or else they should be removed from their positions.

“We are only asking them to implement their own rules, which say that the employee has to learn the local language in six months and also establish language units so that they can learn the language. If the employee in question fails to do, then we are asking the banks to send them back to the state where the language they know is being used. We are not asking them to fire them from their jobs,” said Prof S G Siddaramaiah, chairman of KDA.

“This has become a huge problem in rural banks where employees are only speaking Hindi and bank customers are speaking Kannada. The forms are only in English and Hindi and not Kannada. We are asking them to comply with the rules and not destroy the federal structure through the imposition of one language,” he added.

A manager of a nationalised bank said that rules specify that after learning the language in six months, they had to take a test. “But the rules do not say anything about what can be done if they fail the test. The most we can do is extend their probationary period,” the manager said.

The debate over local language has intensified in the recent months and dovetailed with appeasement typical in an election year by the ruling party. Removal of Hindi signages on Metro boards, the government mulling over a state flag and the granting of five per cent reservation to Kannada medium applicants in government jobs and strong push to teach Kannada in professional courses have all grabbed headlines.

Recently, the state also shunted a senior IAS officer on central deputation, after complaints emerged that he refused to conduct government business in Kannada. But the KDA is not looking at banks alone. All the government offices in all the districts, the Secretariat and the department offices in Bengaluru are on its radar.

If the KDA is unhappy with banks, it is not exactly pleased with state departments like Tourism Department too, which does not have a Kannada website. The department officials claimed they had lost the password to the site.

The KDA also complained that the roadshows held abroad by the Tourism Department focussed on Bollywood and other cultures rather than showcase Kannada culture. So far, the KDA has visited 15 districts and plans to complete visiting the other 15 districts soon.

“If we find that there are violations, then we will give them a chance to rectify. If they oppose it, then we can recommend disciplinary action,” Prof Siddaramaiah explained.The KDA is scheduled to visit the Bengaluru Urban DC’s office and the Department of Women and Child Development on Wednesday.

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