The Karnataka government is keen on setting up a separate institute to study Kannada as a classical language, taking it out of the ambit of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) at Mysore, which is under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has instructed senior officials in the Department of Kannada and Culture to expedite the file pending with the Union Ministry of Culture pertaining to this demand.
‘Do it on priority’
Mr. Siddaramaiah has directed Basavaraj, Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, to get this process going on priority.
Writer Baragur Ramachandrappa said that CIIL was already burdened with other work and did not have adequate number of researchers to continue research into Kannada language. He said that Karnataka would get more funds from the Centre if it was brought outside the purview of the CIIL.
Kannada and Telugu were accorded classical language status in 2008.
Karnataka should set up a separate institute to study the language on the lines of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Ramachandrappa said.
Probe to be ordered
Mr. Siddaramaiah has also said that an inquiry would be conducted into how the Rs. 1 crore sanctioned to various universities by the State government to conduct study on Kannada had been spent.
Mr. Siddaramaiah has also said that notes submitted to him by the officers in English would be returned to them as Kannada was the administrative language of the State.
He said that all correspondence between the government and people as well as between the departments within Karnataka should be in Kannada. All official meetings should be held in Kannada.
Bangalore was a cosmopolitan city and people spoke and learnt many languages, but it should not be at the cost of the mother tongue and the regional language, he said.
