BENGALURU: Kannada Development Authority (KDA) Chairperson Purushothama Bilimale directed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials not to renew trade licenses of shops and establishments that fail to prominently display Kannada on their name boards.
Speaking at a review meeting on the implementation of the Kannada language at BBMP central office on Friday, he emphasised that under the Kannada Language Development Act, 60% of all nameboards must be allocated to Kannada, and violations should be taken seriously by not renewing the licenses of such establishments.
Bilimale also instructed officials to send a proposal to the government recommending that only native Kannadigas be appointed as mayors if the Greater Bengaluru project is is implemented and new municipalities are created. He urged them to assess potential challenges to Kannada under the proposed project and take proactive measures to safeguard the language.
To promote Kannada learning among non-Kannadigas, he called on BBMP to encourage the establishment of Kannada learning centres, particularly in areas with a high population of non-Kannadigas. He highlighted that KDA is already conducting Kannada classes for non-Kannadigas at 19 locations across the city with promising results and has developed a special curriculum that BBMP can adopt. Additionally, KDA is also ready to provide training for Kannada teachers identified by BBMP.
Bilimale further noted that KDA had received complaints about several senior BBMP officials not drafting notes in Kannada and urged the Chief Commissioner to issue necessary directives to address the same.
Invitation to design logo for Vidhana Soudha book fair
The public has been invited to design a logo for the four-day book fair, organised by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, which will be held on the premises of Vidhana Soudha from February 28 to March 3. Interested participants can submit their logo designs, along with their postal addresses, phone numbers, and other details, by February 3. The winning design will be awarded and recognised by the Secretariat.
In celebration of the Karnataka Golden Jubilee, a 25-foot bronze statue of Nada Devi Bhuvaneshwari will be unveiled by CM Siddaramaiah on Monday at 4:30 pm. Speaking to reporters, Minister for Kannada and Culture and Backward Classes Welfare, Shivaraj S Tangadagi, said that as part of the Karnataka Golden Jubilee celebrations, several events have been organised throughout the year under the theme ‘Hesarayitu Karnataka, Hesaragali Kannada.’