The Karnataka Urdu Academy (KUA) is reeling under a resource crunch. With an annual budget allocation of Rs 21 lakh, the institution finds it difficult to meet all its obligations, of funding scholarships, publishing books and holding literary activities to promote the cause of Urdu.

The Academy does not have an independent building and shares space with Kannada Bhavan.

To improve the financial status of the Urdu Academy, Minister for Labour  Iqbal Ansari on Wednesday proposed that he would try and bring it under the Minorities Department.

The Academy is presently under the Kannada and Culture Department. Ansari, addressing the sixth all India council conference of state Urdu academies, said though the KUA is supported by other departments like the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation and the Minorities Department in funding of scholarships, it would benefit greatly if it was brought under the Minorities Department.

 He added that the Anganwadis should be attached to Urdu primary schools. There are 4,000 Urdu primary schools in the State and 25,000 teachers.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Vice Chairman, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), Shamsur Rahman Faruqi said that Urdu has wrongly been identified as the language of Muslims alone.

“The Urdu lobby is not powerful but we must do something to popularise the language. It’s a misconception that those who study in Urdu may not be qualified in the job market,” he said.

Later, Governor T N Chaturvedi addressed the gathering and released some Urdu publications.
The conference, attended by 16 Urdu academies from different states, will conclude on Thursday.