Government may stop funding AKKA

Decision taken after alleged ill-treatment of delegates

“We will ensure that such a thing do not recur. We are planning to stop releasing any funds for organising the conference,” he told reporters on Wednesday after a review meeting of the department.

An official delegation led by Kannada and Culture Department Principal Secretary Jayaramaraje Urs was reportedly ill-treated by the organisers during the event. The delegation, comprising mainly artistes, were not provided with proper facilities during their stay, it is alleged. Urs and Kannada and Culture Director Manu Baligar said the organisers were not serious about organising the event. The artistes were not provided with the basic facilities which they had promised, causing utmost inconvenience. A detailed report has been submitted to the Government in this regard, they said.

Charges

Urs said the AKKA has made baseless allegations against him to cover up its failures. “It has complained to the Government that I refused to give a presentation on industrial potential of Karnataka during the event. How can a Kannada and Culture Secretary talk about industries?” he asked.

Later, Kannada Development Authority Chairman Mukhyamantri Chandru, who also took part in the event, however, said he received good treatment from the AKKA. He also urged the Government to chalk out certain guidelines for giving funds to Kannada organisations outside the country.