Karnataka govt to table Bill on making Kannada compulsory
BENGALURU: With an aim to make use of Kannada language mandatory in the state, the government has decided to table a Bill in the ongoing session of the legislature, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told the state assembly on Wednesday. The proposed Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill aims to introduce Kannada as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges and to create job reservation for Kannadigas in the government and private sectors.
The CM made the announcement after JDS members staged a protest against the imposition of Hindi language on Wednesday which was also observed as Hindi Divas across the country. The CM said no one can insist on imposition of any language in the state besides Kannada and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told that all regional languages are national languages.
“Our government is not just committed to safeguarding Kannada, but also to promoting it. In Karnataka, when it comes to land, water, language and people, we have kept politics aside and taken a collective decision even in the past.” he said. The CM said there have been demands for making Kannada mandatory all these years.
Bommai: Want professional courses too in Kannada
The committees and authority which work for the promotion of the language do not have a legal framework. He pointed out that under the National Education Policy (NEP), Karnataka is offering engineering courses in Kannada and syllabus for the first semester is ready. “We want even professional courses to be taught in Kannada,” he said.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Kannada Development Authority (KDA) Chairman T S Nagabarana said that the Bill will stress on use of Kannada as medium of instruction in schools, colleges and professional courses, employment (job reservation for Kannadigas), making software in Kannada and implementation of the language across the state including use of Kannada boards on commercial establishments. “All this has been spoken about, but has not been brought under the legal ambit so far. The Bill has been prepared by KDA along with Karnataka Legal Authority and also with the help of guidance from Justice (retd) Bannurmath.”
Nagabarana said the Bill will also include penalty clause and legal help. He said a similar law exists in Kerala for Malayalam language. “Though we are working on this for the last one-and-a-half years,
it was first proposed 20 years ago by historian and writer late Prof Chidananda Murthy” he added.