7 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Karnataka; total 83 including 5 cured

Chitradurga, Feb 10: President of the BJP State unit Nalin Kumar Kateel on Sunday hit out at Congress leader M. Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a “zero candle bulb”.

Mr. Kateel told reporters here that Mr. Modi was a “1,000 watt bulb that gave light to the world”, and compared Mr. Kharge to a lamp that had burned out politically.

Mr. Kateel charged that Mr. Kharge had become frustrated after losing the elections and after his party did not even consider him for a Rajya Sabha seat. And this had made the Congress leader to make wild charges against the Prime Minister.

Lashing out at the Congress, Mr. Kateel alleged that the Congress was continuing the “divide and rule” policy of the British and accused the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda of being the “other face of the Congress”.

Mr. Kateel also came down on the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He ridiculed the Congress for the delay in choosing a new KPCC chief after Dinesh Gundu Rao submitted his resignation.

Kalaburagi, Feb 6: The State government will take steps to ensure that Kannada as a language is taught in all private schools, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa announced today at the 85th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Kalaburagi.

This comes in the wake of the demand by some Kannada activists for making Kannada medium compulsory in all schools in the State. Sammelana president H.S. Venkatesh Murthy, who spoke after the Chief Minister, also made this demand.

The Chief Minister said “We are committed to putting in place a series of steps to see that Kannada is taught in all schools, aided and private, as a language. Kannada should be taught as the first or second language. We will also take steps to strengthen government schools. However, the government alone cannot do much. The community and parents should offer support to make sure that government schools provide quality education to all.”

To inculcate the spirit of scientific inquiry, the State government is setting up mobile planetariums. This will increase the interest of children in space technology and India’s efforts in space exploration.

The government is committed to protecting the interests of the State in Mahadayi and other river water disputes. It will take the border row issue, based on the Mahajan Commission report pending in the Supreme Court, to its logical end.

The government will also address backwardness and related issues. It will make sure that adequate funds are allocated to the development of Kalyana Karnataka. Among other things, it will establish a hostel for students from Kalaburagi region in Bengaluru. Land has been allotted in Nagarabavi for the hostel that can accommodate around 200 students. The government has decided to celebrate Kalyana Karnataka Utsav once every two years. This will showcase the culture of the region.

“We are working towards forging sentimental and emotional unity of the State other than unity based on language or administration. Our dream is to see that Karnataka remains a homogeneous unit with equality and equal opportunity for all,’’ the Chief Minister added.

Kambar bats for technology

Chandrashekar Kambar, Sahitya Akademi president and former president of the Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, favoured effective implementation of technology in administration and for universal use of Kannada in computing and e-governance.

Speaking at the Sammelana inauguration, he said “Several years ago, at the insistence of writer Poornachandra Tejaswi, I appealed to the State government to give a push to Kannada computing. We were convinced that no language can survive without the use of modern technology and use of the language in computers. The Department of Kannada and Culture, headed by then director Manu Baligar, released ₹2 crore for the project. The work began in earnest and teams of technologists came up with software and fonts. Some departments started using Kannada software. But this work has stopped or slowed down at some level. I appeal to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to continue the work and ensure that computerised Kannada is used at all levels of government and in e-governance.’’

Supports dubbing

Mr. Kambar batted for content dubbing of informative TV channels in Kannada. Channels such as Discovery and History produce good quality content that can be educative and informative. They are very useful for children. These channels are now available in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi and some other Indian languages. But they are not available in Kannada. That is because some people in the film industry are opposing dubbing. Such opposition is not good. Informative channels are our window to the world and allowing dubbing will enhance our knowledge base. There is no merit in not allowing dubbing. I appeal to C.T. Ravi, Minister for Kannada and Culture, to allow dubbing in Kannada, he said.

Mr. Kambar favoured primary education in the mother tongue of the child and urged the State government to introduce universal and compulsory education in Kannada medium in all schools. “This will help preserve our culture. Nothing else can,’’ he said.

He blamed the East India Company administration for inculcating a craze for English education among the people. “The introduction of English education by the British was strongly welcomed by the masses in India as they had been denied the opportunity for education for millenia. The deprived classes and Dalits who had not been exposed to education till then, were excited about the opportunity. However, along with English education, the British were successful in introducing inferiority in our minds. We are yet to escape from this inferiority complex.”

Quoting from Greek mythology, Mr. Kambar said that Hercules had killed his children and relatives in a fit of alcohol-induced rage. “We should not behave like that. We may be very strong, but we should not kill our mother tongue, in our power-induced rage,’’ he said.

Hassan, Feb 26: A 35-year-old poachers died on the spot by his fellow man accidentally, mistaking him as animal at Yedikumari Kaginahere forest areas near Sakaleshpura in the district early hours Tuesday, police sources said.

The deceased has been identified as Harish.

The incident happened when ten poachers went hunting for wild animals in the Yedikumari Kaginahare forest areas.