Karnataka - Bidar   

Kannada University seeks Central status

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIDAR, JAN. 30. Kannada University, Hampi, has urged the Union Government to declare it a Central university and release grants like in the case of Urdu University, Hyderabad.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Vivek Rai, told presspersons on Sunday that the university has ambitious plans of preserving and promoting the language and culture of the region but has limited resources to do so.

Appeal

"We have appealed to the Centre to consider universities dealing with language and culture under a special category and release additional grants to them. This is important as such institutions cannot introduce self-financed courses or have payment seats. There is little chance of these institutions making money by taking up projects as they deal mostly with deprived communities such as folk artistes or tribal people," he said.

Mapping project

The university has taken up the task of mapping groups and sub-groups of tribal people in all districts in Karnataka.

"We are the first academic institution to have taken up such a task in the State. The survey is being conducted by the Tribal Studies Department of the university," Mr. Rai said.

Awareness camps

The women's studies wing of the university is also planning to take up a project on issues concerning women, he said.

The Department of Folk Literature is planning to compile and publish the entire folk literature available in the State, he added.

The university is also conducting awareness and sensitisation camps for different groups such as anganwadi workers, akshara dasoha staff, and police personnel.

The university's extension and publication wing, Prasaranga, has succeeded in increasing the sale of books by launching a mobile sales counter.

Mobile bookshop

Under the programme, two vehicles will travel around the State and stop at schools, colleges and venues of cultural programmes and try to promote Kannada books.

The university will also set up bookshops in every district. We are planning to do this in association with private publishing and marketing houses and non-governmental organisations, Mr. Rai said.

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