Kannada is supreme in Karnataka, says C T Ravi
Bengaluru, Oct 3: Karnataka Kannada and Culture Minister C T Ravi on Thursday said the BJP-led government at the Centre has no plans to impose Hindi, as he asserted that Kannada is supreme in the state.
"Central government is not imposing Hindi and it won't do it also. Our party's principle is that importance should be given to regional languages," Ravi said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "Kannada has its own ability and in Karnataka Kannada is supreme... link language is different matter and it was left for people to decide whether one needs to learn it or not."
Union Home Minister Amit Shah last month pitched for Hindi as a common language for the country, which had reignited the debate on the issue, and drew flak from various organisations and political parties in the southern states.
Seeking to defend Shah's statement, Ravi said it was an opinion that Hindi can be a link language in the country, as "we have accepted English as the link language internationally". It had nothing to do with imposition.
"This opinion is not new as several leaders in the past like Nehru and Indira Gandhi have advocated this. It is not a matter of politics," he said, noting that a good per cent of people in the country naturally speak Hindi.
Following the controversy over Shah's statement, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa too had recently asserted that Kannada is the principal language in the state and its importance will never be compromised.
Ravi said, eleven years after Kannada got classical language status, steps were now being initiated towards formally initiating activities including setting up of Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada, currently functioning at a quarters in Mysuru, and blamed inaction on part of successive governments for it.
After meeting experts on the issue, he said though Kannada was given the classical language status in 2008, because of initial confusions including litigation and the location to set up the Centre of Excellence for Studies resulted in not reaching that should have been achieved in ten years.
"As a way forward we will now be registering a society and will also be forming three committees- governing board, finance committee and academic council," he said.
The government would soon decide whether to set up the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada at Mysuru University or Kalagrama in Bengaluru, he added.
Stating that he will discuss with the Chief Minister and cabinet colleagues and he will take all necessary steps to facilitate research in Kannada, an ancient language, the Minister said, this will help the state in getting more funds from the central government.
He said: "So far only Rs 10 crore has been received from the centre after being accorded classical language status.
... it is because of lack of preparedness on our part, and successive government's inaction."
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
