Govt. decides to accord Tulu second official language status for DK and Udupi districts

The Karnataka Government in its Mangaluru Cabinet meeting on Friday, decided to accord the second additional language status of the State to Tulu, widely spoken in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, responding to years’ long demand from the region.

Making this announcement after the marathon three-hour Cabinet meeting at Praja Soudha, the district office complex here, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said he would not comment on why earlier governments did not take this decision. “We do not do politics on sentiments; but on improving life,” he said.

Supplementing his announcement, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, who continued the briefing after Mr. Shivakumar left for Hebri, said the previous government had appointed a committee headed by educationist M. Mohan Alva to study and make recommendations on making Tulu an official language of the State. Though the committee had submitted a report, the government could not take a decision at that time.