BENGALURU: The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) Bill 2024 was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
The bill mandates 60% of text on name boards of all business and industrial establishments to be in Kannada.
According to the proposed amendment, shops and other business establishments, trusts, counseling centres, hospitals, laboratories, and amusement centres functioning with the approval of local authorities or the state government should ensure that their name boards display 60% of text in Kannada.
The bill stated that it is necessary to amend the Act to appoint officials to ensure prominence to Kannada language. It is considered necessary to amend the Act to appoint the director, Directorate of Kannada and Culture, as the member and the secretary of the Kannada Development Authority as the convener of the state-level committee and to make a provision that the upper half of the name boards display 60% Kannada text, the bill said.
Earlier, the government issued an ordinance in this regard and sent it to the governor for approval. But the governor sent the ordinance back to the government, asking it to present the Bill in the state legislature.