From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Nov 1: All Government schools in Karnataka will get free water supply and electricity from Wednesday as a Rajyotsava gift to students, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced in Bengaluru.
Addressing the 68th Rajyotsava Day organised by the State Education Department at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, he said the entire year will be celebrated as `’Swabhimani Kannada Samskruthika Sabhrama’ (Self-respecting Kannada Culture Celebration), he said the previous BJP government should have held the golden jubilee celebration when the State completed the 50th year after being named as Karnataka and, therefore, the Congress government is observing with all pomp and grandeur.
Kannadigas must be empowered and enabled to become economically and socially stronger by giving a boost to education and the government is determined to improve the facilities in all government schools, he said.
Siddaramaiah said 50 years have elapsed since the former Chief Minister D Devaraj Urs changed the State’s name from Mysore to Karnataka. “Let us pledge ourselves today to conduct all our dealings in Kannada and fulfil the obligations to our motherland. It is our bounden duty to create a Kannada environment and make a state-wide celebration,’’ he said.
It is lamentable that several sections of the people do not converse in Kannada despite being part of Karnataka. Kannada is our official language and therefore all the dealings in the State must be conducted in Kannada. All officials must strictly follow the rule of dealing only in Kannada.
The Chief Minister said it was deplorable that the Union Government was conducting all competitive examinations in either English or Hindi, which is totally unacceptable. “I have been demanding the usage of Kannada in the past and if necessary, we will write to the Centre again to insist on Kannada to be used in the competitive examinations,’’ he asserted.
Siddaramaiah condemned the tendency among people preferring convent education on the plea that those studying in Kannada will not be able to get jobs or become knowledgeable. This is utterly wrong. It is necessary to use Kannada in all sectors of economy, he said pointing out that those who had studied in Kannada medium and converse in Kannada are enjoying high positions.
Though the Supreme Court has held that the decision on the medium of instruction of their children must be left to the parents, Siddaramaiah said people must understand that it is scientifically proven that those studying in their mother tongue have flourished.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, MLA Rizwan Arshad, Chief Minister’s Political Secretary Govindaraju and others were present.