BENGALURU, 15 FEB

State government would form task forces apart from an enforcement wing comprising police personnel in every district to ensure compliance of the new bill mandating Kannada on signboards, Kannada and Culture Minister Tangadagi Shivaraj Sangappa said.

The minister said the problem of Kannada not being used on name boards exists only in Bengaluru. In Bengaluru, the government will form committees in all eight municipal zones; "these committees will receive complaints on Kannada. We are also coming out with an app called 'Kangavalu' for this," he added.

The Karnataka Cabinet on 5 January gave its approval to an ordinance to amend the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act that mandates use of the State's language in 60 per cent space on signages.

Welcoming the bill, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka stressed on the need to impose fines. "Even if you make it 80 per cent (use of Kannada), we will support it. But what we pass should not remain only as an Act. Impose hefty fines, it’s the only thing that will work. Otherwise, (business and establishments) won't care," he said.

Lord Ram heated topic again

Lord Ram again became the reason for heated exchanges between the ruling and Opposition parties in the Assembly on Thursday. During Zero Hour, BJP Mangaluru MLA Bharath Shetty said an FIR was filed against him “for supporting Hinduism”. The FIR was filed against Shetty and BJP MLA Vedavyasa Kamath for protesting against a teacher in St Gerosa School who allegedly made derogatory remarks against Lord Ram.

“I have been here in Bengaluru since 12 February attending the Assembly. The FIR has been filed for creating communal tension when I was not even in the place,” Shetty said. 

Supporting the MLA, the BJP leaders attacked the Congress government for not filing a case against the teacher but are filing against people who are condemning it. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “BJP’s only intention is to create communal tension.”

Issuing of BPL, APL cards from April 1

Minister of Food and Civil Supplies KH Muniyappa said a total of 2,95,986 applications are pending for getting BPL and APL cards and they will be cleared by 31 March and the new applications will be accepted from 1 April. Ashoka questioned if the government is delaying the BPL cards to not increase the beneficiaries of their guarantee schemes.

Separate constituency for Pourakarmikas

BJP leaders urged the government to include pourakarmikas under BBMP in Legislative Council. A constituency should be reserved like teachers’ constituency to make them part of decision making process. 

Oppn flays govt over Governor labelled ‘Kannada hater’

Opposition leader R Ashoka urged Minister Tangadagi Shivaraj Sangappa to give an explanation after a section of media portrayed Governor as a Kannada hater for sending back the ordinance on Kannada signboards.

“Since the Assembly dates were already announced, the Governor cannot sign an ordinance and he sent it back to the Assembly. Though I had submitted the ordinance a month before the announcement, the Governor was suffering from health issues and hence he could not sign and sent it back,” Sangappa said.

JDS leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy attacked the Congress for blaming Central government for unfair distribution of tax share. “The funds from the Central government have already been distributed, there is no point in fighting for it now. If there was real injustice, I would have supported them,” Kumaraswamy said. 

Kumaraswamy claimed that 40 per cent of the funds released from the Centre were not utilised. “MLAs are saying they have not received sanctions for their constituencies and the government gave cabinet rankings to the chairpersons of boards and corporation which was unnecessary during drought,” he said. 

Govt wants to offer English medium in more schools

Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa on Thursday told the Legislative Assembly that the government intends to offer English as a medium of instruction in more state-run schools, in view of the rising demand for it, and to promote enrollments.

The minister said there is a huge demand for English medium schools in the state and, in the next three years, the government wants to open 500 more Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), that also offer English medium of instruction, in addition to Kannada. Bangarappa was responding to Tirthahalli BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra who said government schools are being closed because parents want their kids to get English medium education. "There is a huge demand for English mediums. As the government, we have a responsibility to take steps by also giving priority to Kannada...(but) parents themselves want an English medium for their children," Bangarappa said.

Bangarappa said existing schools are being converted to bilingual schools. “The teachers will be trained to teach English medium syllabus and materials will be provided. We will focus more on improving the basic facilities and infrastructure. We will not take up new projects until after the 2025 budget,” Bangarappa  said. —Salar News/PTI