Meet seeks reservation for Kannada medium students
On its final day on Monday, the 79th All India Kannada Sahitya Sammelana resolved to make Kannada a livelihood language by providing reservation in government jobs to candidates who have studied in Kannada medium and in professional education.
It also urged for thoroughly reviewing the report of the Sarojini Mahishi Committee, which called for ensuring employment to Kannadigas in the IT, BT and other industries.
A resolution to this effect was adopted at the open session of the Sammelana presided over by Kannada Sahitya Parishat president Pundalika Halambi. It noted that private companies were employing students who studied in English medium.
It urged the State government to allay the fears that people who have studied in Kannada medium have no future as far as jobs are concerned, by providing the special reservation.
It sought maximum reservation for Kannada students in professional and higher education, including medicine and engineering. In order to save Kannada and Kannadigas, it was imperative to provide reservation in higher education and employment.
Other resolutions were to urge the government not to close down any Kannada medium school and to impose a ban on dubbing movies and television programmes of other languages into Kannada.
Referring to the Cauvery water dispute, the Sammelana urged the Centre and the Supreme Court to deal with the matter dispassionately and protect the interests of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The resolution asked the Centre not to notify the final award of the Cauvery River Waters Disputes Tribunal. The conference urged the Centre to give up the policy of special treatment to Hindi.
The very purpose of formation of linguistic states was to promote all regional languages, it said.
Another resolution urged the State government to include Bijapur district also under the provisions of Section 371(J) of the Constitution, providing it special status along with the six Hyderabad-Karnataka districts.
The Sammelana, in its another resolution, urged the government to restore Bijapur’s old name ‘Vijayapura,’ as found in historical texts and inscriptions.
