Minister Sunil Kumar to South First: Kannada Development Authority will have enforcement powers if industries don't follow norms.
As many as 107 Indian languages and dialects have been recorded as being used in Bengaluru, a cosmopolitan city that has for long been a melting pot of cultures and traditions.
But what about Kannada? And Kannadigas?
“It is a good thing that Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka state, is a cosmopolitan city. But can the entire state of Karnataka be taken for a cosmopolitan state?” asked Kannada Development Authority (KDA) Chairman TS Nagabharana.
“The question arises as to who will protect the interest of Kannadigas and the Kannada language, which has already taken a beating due to this cosmopolitan culture, and the over-accommodative nature of the locals (Kannadigas) here in the city and the state,” Nagabharana told South First.
Over a long period of time, around 66 years, Karnataka has been experimenting with ways to protect the Kannada language. The KDA, which was formed around 30 years ago, was one such experiment to protect the interests of language as well as Kannadigas.
“But this authority has got no statutory powers for implementing Kannada, and for safeguarding Kannadigas and the state of Karnataka,” Nagabharana pointed out.
The KDA has, for long, sought an Act under which Kannada would be the official language of communication in governmental offices and departments, as well as in education; and Kannadigas would have a reasonable amount of reservations in state government jobs.
The Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Bill) 2022 — translated as the Samagraha Kannada Bhashe Abhivruddhi Viveyeka, which was tabled in the Assembly on Thursday, 22 September — has been mooted therefore to protect the interests of Kannadigas and their language.
The primary aim of the Bill is to ensure that there is a statutory mechanism for the use of the Kannada language in government offices, banks, and in higher education. According to the Bill, there shall be reservation for students who have completed their education from 1st standard until SSLC in Kannada medium schools.
The Bill also proposes that the Kannada language be used by local courts for writing judgements and communication with witnesses.
“The bill we have tabled gives the KDA statutory powers,” Minister for Kannada and Culture Sunil Kumar, who tabled the Bill, told South First.
The Bill, Sunil Kumar added, is also meant to ensure reservation for Kannadigas in industries in the state, and any industry that does not comply with this provision shall not be eligible for concessions offered by the state government.
It states that the government should withdraw benefits granted to industries which fail to provide reservation in employment for Kannadigas.
“The KDA can now monitor reservations, and will have enforcement powers if the industries don’t follow the norms according to the new bill, which will become an Act soon,” said Sunil Kumar said.
There was, for instance, concern in the recent past over the non-Kannada-speaking banking staff employed across Karnataka.
Several of the bank disputes that arose were due to communication issues between customers and the staff.
The Bill has a special focus on this aspect, stating that “every person employed in banks and other financial institutions situated within the state of Karnataka shall use the Kannada language also in all its communications and correspondence with the public”.
According to the Bill, the enforcement authorities can also book offenders for dereliction of duty if they fail to abide by the provisions of the law with regard to communication in the Kannada language.
There is also a provision for setting up an Official Language Commission and an enforcement mechanism for implementation of the official language at the state, district, and taluk levels.
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