Funds released for Kannada, Telugu study centres

Addressing the media in Bangalore on Monday, Kannada Development Authority chairperson Mukyamantri Chandru said the department of Higher Education (Languages division), Union Ministry of Human Resources Development had given its approval for the setting up of the centres, which is likely to be inaugurated in October-end.

The Centre has released Rs 54.54 lakh under the 11th Pan for the year 2011-12 for the immediate expenditure. Under the 12th Plan for the next five years, Rs 21.56 crore has been set aside for both languages, said Chandru.

CIIL will establish two research centres, one each for Kannada and Telugu.
A total of 37 posts have been sanctioned, including that of a project director, office superintendent, five posts of Senior Fellow, ten posts of Associate Fellows and Doctoral Fellowships, and five posts of Post Doctoral Fellowships.

The project director for each of the centres will be appointed on contract basis with consolidated remuneration by the Director, CIIL in consultation with the HRD ministry.
The functions of the centre would be to identify sources of classical languages; promote, propagate and preserve them inside and outside their own speech territories; undertake and encourage research and documentation in India and abroad; procure manuscripts and undertake digitisation; publish books related to classical Kannada and Telugu; and award certificate of honour along with cash awards to distinguished scholars.

Awards

The centres will institute three awards – one lifetime achievement award for an Indian scholar with a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh to be presented by the President; two international awards for lifetime achievement (one each for person of Indian and non-Indian origin) with a purse of Rs 5 lakh; and five young scholar awards – young scholars aged between 30 and 40 with a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh.

The centres will create

avenues for interdisciplinary research involving related studies of numismatics, epigraphy, archaeology, and ancient history.