The Hindu : Karnataka News : More funds for development of Kannada

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 04, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka

More funds for development of Kannada

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, FEB. 3. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, assured the Legislative Council today that the Government will increase the budgetary allocation to the Department of Kannada and Culture on priority.

This, he said, is to help the department to earmark more funds for the Karnataka Sahitya Academy and the Karnataka Urdu Academy.

He also said the Government will announce the long-pending appointments to academies on Saturday.

Replying to questions on the annual grants to academies, raised by `Mukhyamantri' Chandru (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Qazi Arshad Ali (Congress), he said the department has earmarked Rs. 14 lakhs for the Sahitya Academy and Rs. 13 lakhs for the Urdu Academy.

Mr. Arshad Ali said Andhra Pradesh has been providing an annual grant of Rs. 1 crore for the development of Urdu. Karnataka should also increase the annual grant to the Urdu Academy substantially, he added.

Mr. Chandru argued that an annual grant of Rs. 13 lakhs to the Urdu Academy and Rs. 14 lakhs to the Sahitya Aademy is not justifiable considering the "range and reach" of the academies in the State. Clarifying that he is not against allocating more funds to any academy, he wanted the overall annual grants to the Department of Kannada and Culture increased substantially.

Theatre

Emphasising the discrepancies and reported bias in fixing rentals for open-air theatres in the districts and lack of other facilities for theatre activities in the State, Umasri (Congress) sought details about them.

Even as Mr. Dharam Singh was responding, Mr. Chandru intervened to suggest that there is a need to establish a cultural authority to address all issues pertaining to Kannada language and culture. Mr. Dharam Singh said the Government will consider his suggestion as it is committed to the cause of Kannada.

Poet's birth centenary

To a question from the Leader of the Opposition, D.H. Shankaramurthy, and Ramachandra Gowda (BJP), Mr. Dharam Singh said the Government earmarked Rs. 1 crore for celebrations of the birth centenary of the late poet Kuvempu from December 29, 2003 to December 29, 2004 all over the State. The valedictory of the celebrations was to have been held at the poet's village — Kuppahalli in Shimoga district — on December 29, 2004. But the programme was postponed because of the tsunami tragedy and the death of the former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. The programme will be held shortly, he added.

State anthem

The acting Chairman of the House, V.R. Sudarshan, suggested that the Government fix a standard tune for the "nadageete" (State anthem), Jaya Bharata jananiya tanujaate... , written by Kuvempu. It should also make the singing of the anthem and its veneration mandatory at all official functions, he said.

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