Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that there is a need for creating what he called “Kannada ambience” in the State so that non-Kannadigas felt that it would be inevitable for them to learn Kannada if they wanted to live in the State.
Inaugurating the newly built Kannada Bhavan at Adarsh Nagar in Hubli on Sunday, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that Kannadigas had been lenient with regard to other languages and were known for their tolerance. “We Kannadigas love other languages also. But we need to become strong when there is a threat to our language or its pride is affected,” he said.
Quota in jobs
Referring to the Sarojini Mahishi report which recommended reservation in jobs for Kannadigas, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that there was a need for amending the report keeping in mind today’s requirements. “We need to make Kannada the communication language of all who live in Karnataka,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that for the overall development of the State, every region required development and the government would take every step to ensure this.
“Whether it is Old Mysore, North Karnataka or the Gulbarga region, every region requires uniform development. And our government will take steps to ensure this,” he said.
He clarified that his government would not neglect the decisions taken by the BJP government and funds allocated for various projects would be released accordingly. “The State government was committed to developing Hubli-Dharwad,” he said.
Recalling the contribution of activists from northern Karnataka region, he said that it was because of their efforts that unification of Karnataka took place.
The Chief Minister said that he would be touring all the districts to review the progress achieved and the government would take all steps to meet the aspirations of the people.
Earlier, the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar drew the attention of the Chief Minister to the various projects, the funds for which were sanctioned during the BJP government but yet to be released.
He urged the Chief Minister to release additional grants of Rs. 100 crore to Hubli-Dharwad as he (Mr. Siddaramaiah) had announced for the Mysore City Corporation.
He said that there was delay in releasing grants under State Finance Commission to the local bodies and urged Mr. Siddaramaiah to set it right.
A host of elected representatives, including Ministers H.K. Patil, T.B. Jayachandra and Santosh Lad, the former Minister Basavaraj S. Horatti, MP Pralhad Joshi, the former Chairman of the Legislative Council Viranna Mattikatti, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Sameer Shukla, and Hubli Dharwad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ramandeep Chowdhary were present.
The Chief Minister was given a warm welcome by folk troupes.
